


Revenge Is A Platter Best Served Deep Fried Or Twice Baked

by scapegoat



Series: "Intros Into Arcane/Occult" with Alya Césaire & The Luckyblog [6]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Badass Alix Kubdel, Badass Kagami Tsurugi, Badass Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Best Friends, Biological Family Issues, Black Cat Alix Kubdel, Black Cat Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Confused Fluff (Miraculous Ladybug), Curses, Evil Jalil Kubdel, Fox Alix Kubdel, Friendship is Magic, Genderfluid Marc Anciel, Hijinks & Shenanigans, Jealousy, Kwami & Miraculous Lore, Ladybug Alix Kubdel, Ladybug Kagami Tsurugi, Miraculous Holder Alix Kubdel, Miraculous Side Effects, Mouse Alix Kubdel, Mr. Kubdel's (Miraculous Ladybug) A+ Parenting, Multiple Miraculous Wielding, Protect Alix Kubdel At All Costs, Protective Alya Césaire, Protective Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Protective Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Rabbit Alix Kubdel | Bunnyx, Repeated Murder Attempts, Roller Derby, Secret Identity Reveal, Sibling Rivalry, Skater Alix Kubdel, Snake Alix Kubdel, Snake Jalil Kubdel, Snake Miraculous, Stolen Miraculouses (Miraculous Ladybug), Temporary Character Death, Temporary Miraculous Holders, The Ladyblog (Miraculous Ladybug), The Miracle Box (Miraculous Ladybug), Tikki Is So Done (Miraculous Ladybug), Time Loop, Time Magic, Time Powers, Time Shenanigans, Time Travel, Time Travel Side Effects, repeated character deaths, teenagers being teenagers, universe hopping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:48:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 22,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26886892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scapegoat/pseuds/scapegoat
Summary: She doesn’t know how but she bets she knows why. Alix is caught in another time loop because of her asshole brother’s newly stolen Miraculous birthday gift to himself. (seriously. What. A. Tool.) If Jalil wants a Miraculous battle, that son of a bitch is gonna get one. Time to Bunny-Up.
Relationships: Alix Kubdel & Everyone, Alix Kubdel & Lê Chiến Kim, Alix Kubdel & Marc Anciel, Alix Kubdel & Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Alix Kubdel & Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Alya Césaire & Alix Kubdel, Alya Césaire & Nathaniel Kurtzberg
Series: "Intros Into Arcane/Occult" with Alya Césaire & The Luckyblog [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1852921
Comments: 5
Kudos: 17





	1. November 11th, 2020

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous Ladybug
> 
> A/N: It's probably a good idea to read "Alix Kubdel & The Awful, Disastrous, Out of Control Magical Birthday" before diving into this  
> Uh... chronologically? I currently have no idea where this takes place but I do know it is after chapter five of "Vlog For Me" which is in the process of being written.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Jalil's birthday... great.

_Wed, Nov 11 th, 2020  
_

  
Jalil opens his eyes then turns over in his bed, fully intending on getting some more sleep. A soft thud causes him to furrow his eyebrows. The brunet begrudgingly gets up then looks around his room. His eyes land on a small black hexagonal box on the floor. Jalil picks up the box from the floor looking at the sticky note that has _happy birthday_ written on it.

  
Who says you’re too old to receive birthday presents?

  
Curious, Jalil opens the box. A bright green light shoots out of the box causing Jalil to instinctively shield his eyes and drop the box. Once the dots are no longer dancing around his eyes, he picks up the box again and stares at the charcoal ouroboros bangle. “Greetings.” An unfamiliar voice greets. Jalil stares at the tiny floating snake-like creature staring back at him. “I am Sass, kwami of resolve.”

  
🐍

  
_“Alix, wake up!”_

  
Blue eyes snap open and Alix looks around the room then startles, “wait... w-what am I doing _here?_ ”

  
“I don’t...” He sighs, “I don’t enjoy using my abilities to—” Before her father can finish talking Alix punches him in the face.

  
“Spare me your bullshit, you’re not the legal guardian of me.”

  
Her father pats his bleeding mouth. “What do you think the courts will do to M. Dupain and Mme. Cheng when a respected curator such as myself tells them of the forgery? And how I did not consent to my only daughter being taken away from me?”

  
“You’re hardly as respected as you think you are. And even if you ‘were,’ Marinette’s parents have way more clout than you. After all, Sabine & Tom is **the best** boulangerie pâtissèrie in the country. And you’re just _one_ of the curators at the Louvre.” Her father’s eyes narrow. “And as for why your only daughter got taken from you? You’re a shitty parent! Now, why am I here and what happened to _my_ family?”

  
“ _Your_ family misses you.” Alix rolls her eyes, “and _Marinette’s_ family is fine. I need you here. Jalil’s been acting... strange as of late.”

  
“I’m sorry and how is this my problem?”

  
“He’s your brother. I thought you’d be concerned.”

  
“I stopped being _concerned_ about you two when you kept killing me.”

  
“I explained why I had to do that. The sages—”

  
“Shut up!” Alix jumps out of bed, “I don’t want to hear it! I’m fucking _done_! And I swear on my favorite pair of skates, if you put me in another time loop I’ll come back for you.” Grumbling, she walks to the bathroom slamming the door behind her.

  
🐍

  
“Alix, get up.” Blue eyes snap open and Alix surges up in the bed headbutting someone. “Ow. Ow, ow, ow—”

  
“Marinette?!” Alix gasps and sure enough Marinette is rubbing her reddening forehead. “Sorry! Please don’t ever hover over me when you wake me up. Bad stuff happens.”

  
“Making a mental note.” Marinette stops rubbing her forehead, “are you okay? You’re normally kinda flopping around when sleeping but you were even more fitful than usual.”

  
“Sleeping...? What day is it?”

  
“November 11th?”

  
They stare at each other grimacing, “Jalil’s birthday.”

  
A portal opens in the bedroom and a haggard looking Bunnyx steps out of it, “we have... a situation.” Then she collapses.

  
🐍

  
“ **Get up** , Alix!” Blue eyes snap open and Alix blocks a punch from her future self. Future Alix looks around, lowering her hand.

  
“Have you... always been so quick to throw a punch waking up?”

  
“‘Bout as long as I can remember.” Future and Current Alix answer simultaneously. Marinette hums.

  
“Hey, what do you mean ‘we have a situation?’”

  
“Jalil in my time went back in time to steal the snake Miraculous from Cosmic Colt and Bovine before they gave Kitty-Nette and Minibug their Miraculouses, _then_ he hand-delivered the Miraculous to himself for his 24th  birthday.”

  
“This has time loop written all over it.” Marinette mutters.

  
“If he took the Miraculouses from the people who don’t even have them anymore, he must’ve realized Lady Luck would shut all that shit down and kick his ass.” Alix says.

  
“You’re probably right.” Future Alix lolls her head from side to side, “Minibug is tiny but fearsome. I wouldn’t wanna tango with her. And we already know Jalil in any timeline is a bitch-ass coward who will always take the easy route.”  
  


“Does she even grow in your timeline?” Alix asks her future self.

  
“Yeah. I could still always call her ‘mini’ since she’s still smaller than me.”

  
“Did Mini— _ack_ , I mean did Lady Luck having the Miracle Box mess with anything in the timeline?” Marinette asks.

  
“Honestly? I don’t even know anymore! My timeline is now so far removed from yours and yet some of the same shit still happens. Minibug didn’t get the Miracle Box until much later in my timeline but Tikki still goes off on Cosmic Colt and Bovine to do it. I suppose it’s better to get these things out the way sooner rather than later. Cosmic Colt and Bovine have always been rather passive. Minibug just—” Future Alix snaps her fingers, “‘gets out there and kicks some ass.’”

  
Alix hums, “if things are happening in your timeline out of order in ours... does that mean it’s possible we figure out Lady Luck’s identity before you did?”

  
“Possibly. But you realize, in the same vein, that things will be happening for you two later than they did in my timeline too, right?” Alix and Marinette exchange a glance.

  
“What do we do about Jalil?” Marinette asks.

  
Current Alix cracks her knuckles. “We kill him.”

  
Future Alix holds up a hand, “that might not be so easy this time around. While the snake Miraculous doesn’t allow for the same range of motion in flowing through time as the rabbit, he can still go back in time and fuck things up for an entire day. The snake Miraculous is basically a get out jail free do-over you can use multiple times until you either kill yourself or run out of stamina. And I don’t see the former happening to Jalil considering he’s still fucking alive in my timeline.”

  
“If he can only move around time one for one day—”

  
“—We kill him through his Miraculous; today. Let him live the same day over and over... and over—”

  
“—Where he knows we’re coming from him and keep getting him—”

  
“—And there’s nothing he can do to stop it.”

  
Future Alix taps her chin looking between the best friends. Seeing her and Marinette working together seamlessly never gets old. “I like it. There’s nothing you two can’t do together, but – admittedly – it might be just too big a task for you two alone.”

  
“Maybe if we tell Lady Luck?” Marinette suggests.

  
“Telling Lady Luck will let her know my— _uh_ mini-me’s identity.”

  
“I don’t mind. If Lady Luck is still beside us in the future her knowing my identity now wouldn’t matter.” Future Alix hums. That’s true, “in the meantime I’m thinking I should use my Miraculous. Fight time with time, you know?”

  
Marinette frowns, “you sure that’s a good idea? You had to die seventeen times for it to reveal Fluff.”

  
“Sixteen.” Both Alixs correct.  
  


“Not the point. What if it ends up killing you again when you use it? Fluff—” Marinette pauses and looks around, “where did Fluff go?”

  
“Talking to their future self.” Future Alix replies.

  
“What happens if you take the wrong Fluff back?”

  
“That’s an interesting question. As for Fluff killing Mini-Me again? It’s... probably not gonna happen.”

  
“Good to know.” Current Alix mutters.

  
“I just had an idea!” Marinette exclaims. “Can’t we go back in time to yesterday to prevent Jalil from giving himself the Miraculous today?”

  
“No. Believe me, I’ve tried. Unfortunately, it’s etched in time. There’s nothing we can do to prevent this event from occurring. And trying to prevent it creates an indent orb in time.”

  
Marinette and Current Alix exchange a questionable glance, “a _what_?” The latter asks.

  
“I suppose the overall gist is a non-linear black hole... but in ball form. If someone alters a cemented event in time or... let’s say erases it entirely, a black hole is created where that event would’ve stood. And as you’ve no doubt learned from science, black holes only get bigger as time goes on.”

  
“And when a black hole gets too big there is very little that can stop it from getting even bigger.” Marinette continues.

  
“Exactamundo! The only thing that can stop an indent orb is another indent orb and since two wrongs doesn’t equal a right yet two negatives equal a positive, the orbs cancel each other out but only if they are events of the same level of importance.”

  
Current Alix scratches her head. “I’m sorry but what the fuck!?”

  
Marinette’s eyebrows furrow. “Wouldn’t the inclusion of another indent orb create an even larger black hole?”

  
“You’d think that, wouldn’t you?” Future Alix shrugs, “time is a moody, incorrigible bitch that always gets their way. It looks, and takes, and takes without looking back.”

  
“Hold up! If an event is cemented throughout _millions_ of universes, wouldn’t it already be important?”

  
“Yes. All the events cemented throughout the multiverse are varying levels of importance. From the semi-important to the world-shattering if done wrong levels of important. A perfect example of the latter is what went on when I first intervened. Kitty-Nette got her Miraculous without Minibug getting hers. If the Avatars of Creation and Destruction aren’t in sync, the multiverse will collapse into itself ending every world in existence, which’ll cause countless deaths and unfathomable destruction.” Marinette and Current Alix gape at her. “Another example is Alix Kubdel going through the shitty series of time loops on her birthday to obtain her Miraculous. When I conferred with other Alixs the number of deaths varied between fourteen and sixteen, with yours currently being the highest.” Current Alix whistles, “without the Avatar of Time, the multiverse has nothing to center it.”

  
“Keeping the multiverse functioning sounds like an enormous amount of pressure to put on an eighteen-year-old.” Current Alix says and her future self nods in agreement, “was there like a manual or did you get to consult with the previous Avatar of Time?”

  
“Never met ‘em and unfortunately I wasn’t given a guidebook to leaf through. According to the sages, there can only be one Avatar of Time in existence throughout the multiverse. If and when whenever we die for good, the next Avatar of Time will take our place and no I don’t know who they are. Nor do I know when it’s Alix Kubdel’s swan song. You would think the ‘Avatar of Time’ would know their own death but—” Trailing off with a shrug, Future Alix runs a hand through her hair. Marinette notices eighteen-year-old Alix’s hair is almost completely shaved off in the back and her hair is styled to the front which is longer and less spiky than fourteen-year-old Alix’s hair.

  
“Is there a Future future-you you can talk to?”

  
“That...” Future Alix furrows her eyebrows, “it’s worth a shot checking.”

  
“Even if you gotta do this by yourself, _I know_ we have Marinette in our corner in every actuality and Kim whether he’s got a Miraculous or not. You don’t have to shoulder this by yourself.”

  
“I know and they’re a great help, but you gotta understand there’s only so much an outsider can comprehend.” She sighs, “hell, I’m directly involved and I don’t understand everything.”

  
“Don’t Cosmic Colt or Bovine help?”

  
Future Alix snorts. “No one knows **anything** about the rabbit Miraculous! Not even the bad guys acknowledge its existence among the list of Miraculouses they bitch about wanting to steal!”

  
“Speaking of bad guys...? Who do you have in your universe?”

  
“In my universe? In _my_ universe, we have an asshole calling herself Maîtresse Abeille and her asshole partner is called Maître Paon.” Future Alix rolls her eyes, “they’re such assholes. I guess it’s a prerequisite to having a stolen Miraculous is to be an asshole while using it.”

  
“A _bee_ Miraculous?” Marinette questions.

  
“It’s the kwami of subjection. A powerful enemy. You can paralyze your victim for an entire minute. Thankfully, the kwami’s abilities don’t change regardless of the universe so learning their powers doesn’t become a giant headache. Not that I know more than a dozen kwami abilities anyhow. So far in every universe I’m aware of there is always two bad guys teamed up using their Miraculouses together. But not like in a way in which the kwamis and Miraculouses are used by just one person.”

  
“So that’s a thing? Fusing Miraculouses?”

  
“Well, no. Miraculouses can’t be fused. However, a single person can wear multiple Miraculouses therefore fusing the powers. The downside is it’s extremely dangerous so it’s not recommended to use more than one at a time but if anyone can handle the strain, it’s Minibug. That is not me giving you permission to tell Minibug to walk around wearing all the Miraculouses! She only did it as a last resort. I am also capable of wielding more than one at a time without overexerting myself.”

  
“What about me?”

  
“Not that I’ve noticed. And that in itself is weird because if anyone has ample amounts of energy, it’s you. Or maybe we just haven’t tried with you. But, again, not giving you permission to try.”

  
“I just had a thought. You said Jalil receiving the Miraculous is etched in time, what about him _keeping_ the Miraculous? Is that also etched in time?”

  
“I...” Future Alix frowns, “I don’t know. I never thought about it. Jalil _receiving_ the Miraculous is I’d put it in the ballpark of... let’s see we have consequential if edited but not rip the fabric of the multiverse in pieces—”

  
“So seven out of ten?” Current Alix guesses.

  
“Yeah. About that. But ...there isn’t anything about him remaining the Miraculous’ holder. Bear in mind if we’re using the one to ten system, Minibug and Kitty-Nette ever having their Miraculouses out of sync will be close to one-thousand out of ten. So, incomprehensibly bad if the bad guys ever get your Miraculous.”

  
“No pressure or anything, right?” Marinette questions with a sigh.

  
“You know, they really shouldn’t’ve put kids in charge of protecting the multiverse.” Current Alix says with a frown. “Just saying.”

  
“I both agree and disagree. I agree because _who the hell wants to do this_ and simultaneously disagree because age doesn’t necessarily factor with users.”

  
“Alright.” Current Alix rubs her hands together. “This is what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna steal Jalil’s Miraculous after he uses it so him getting the damn thing is etched in time without interruption, and if things turn rip the fabric of the multiverse apart we jump back in time to stop ourselves.”

  
“Good thinking Mini-Me.” Current Alix grins, “but for you to jump back in time you’ll need...”

  
“I know. I know.” Current Alix picks up her pocketwatch. “Fluff—” The kwami floats over to her, “ _clockwise_.”

  
🐍

  
“Clever. I’ll give you that.” Alix’s eyes snap open and she turns her head to see Jalil in a teal _leather_ snake outfit sitting in a chair with one leg folded over the other. Even with the ridiculous _gelled back_ teal hair, mask covering the bottom half of his face, and the snake slit eyes, she can recognize that motherfucker. “Didn’t think you’d just jump into using your Miraculous to counter mine _but_ you gotta realize I’m not gonna let things be so easy.”

  
Alix sits up, “what did you do, Jalil? Stealing a Miraculous from a pair of older folks makes you feel like a big man?”

  
“You’re not gonna bait me into screwing up.”

  
Alix rolls her eyes, “go fuck yourself, man. I mean that both literally and figuratively.”

  
“Taunt all you want. I have the upper hand here, baby sister. Every time you try to utter those transformation words I’ll just reset you.”  
  


Alix tilts her head to the left, “I’ve outsmarted you before.”

  
“That wasn’t _you_ who did the outsmarting and even if it _was_ , it was a fluke. I’ve been around you for fourteen years, I know you as well as you know yourself. I know your faults, your insecurities. Everything there is to know.”

  
“You’re wrong, _big brother_.” Jalil’s pupils get thinner, “you clearly don’t know me as well as your ego thinks it does.”

  
Jalil huffs out a laugh, “we’ll see.”  
  


“Yeah, we will. Asshole.”

  
“We’ll be seeing each other again, real soon.”

  
Alix rolls her eyes, “can’t wait.”

  
🐍

  
“A-Alix? W-Wake up. Please?” Blue eyes snap open and Alix looks up at the ceiling. Marinette’s face hesitantly veers in her line of sight. “You okay? You... You just sorta stood there then passed out.”  
  


With a sigh, she sits up. “I have... an idea.” She looks around the room, “where’s Future Me?”

  
“She said she had to take care of something. You tried transforming then you sorta... stopped.”

  
“Jalil.” Marinette groans, “Jalil somehow knows when I’m gonna use my Miraculous to counter his.”

  
“That’s not good.”

  
“No, it’s not.”

  
“ _But_ we can use it to our advantage. Future You said Jalil will either tire himself out using the Miraculous or die. Although the latter would be preferable – given the past two months alone – it’s no doubt a longshot.” Alix nods in agreement. “In order to steal Jalil’s Miraculous we’re gonna need him to tire himself out—”

  
“Which means purposely letting him catch me about to transform!”

  
“And when he’s out of juice—” Marinette brings her fists together, “we strike!”

  
“So I just keep on transforming or trying to and have him monologue and keep on resetting me. What if _I_ tire out and can’t transform for real?”

  
“Don’t worry about that.” Fluff replies patting their chest. “If you never complete the transformation, you’re not using any excess energy! And with every reset I will right your memory—” Fluff turns to Marinette, “and yours as well.”

  
“No shocking required?” Marinette asks and Fluff grins with a one-shoulder shrug.

  
“Good, good. I’m thinking we’re gonna need extra help besides Lady Luck.”

  
“Jalil will no doubt know I’m involved. Plus Kim, Vinh, and Nathaniel as well.”

  
“I know. I wasn’t thinking about them. I was thinking of a few someones he wouldn’t expect.” Alix grins, “what if we get the blackberry clobber girls to help?”

  
“Or the whole roller derby league! It’s great! Even if they don’t physically do anything there will be dozens of people for Jalil to watch!”

  
“And he might not even notice one individual in particular missing.” The fourteen-year-olds high-five each other.

  
“You’ll have to publicly meet up with Karma before I can inform Lady Luck about what’s happening.”

  
“I know the perfect place for us to meet up! Or rather, I know _the_ perfect way~”

  
🐍

  
“This... is... the... best... scoop... ever!” Alya pauses, backtracking. “I mean, I’m sorry your life is in danger from your own brother but this’ll be the perfect opportunity to learn more about magic and Miraculouses!” Markov beeps beside Alya, “I just need a way to contact Lady Luck and Karma without exposing it over the internet where your brother can also view it.”

  
“Aren’t you like Lady Luck and Karma’s favorite civilian? You’ve been at every akuma attack or amok possession to date except for the two that took place before six am.”

  
“That doesn’t mean I have them on speed dial.”

  
Max taps his chin, “what if you just said – in the vaguest manner possible – you had a magical ‘scoop’ you required assistance with?”

  
Alya hugs Max, “you’re the greatest!”

  
“I also suggest getting in contact with our fellow classmate Nathaniel Kurtzberg. If Alya is the first, he is certainly Lady Luck and Karma’s second favorite civilian.”

  
“Nathaniel? I’ve known him for seven years! If he were close to Lady Luck or Karma he would’ve told me!”

  
“If you’ve known him half your lives you’d know he isn’t the bragging type. I was there when Lady Luck personally requested his assistance in taking down our akuma possessed art professeur. He pleaded with Alya not to add that bit to the luckyblog.”

  
“I wouldn’t say... _pleaded_.” Alya begins with a shrug, letting go of Max, “but he did ask me not to add his contribution. Which, you know, I have no idea why because he was a total badass!” The orange-haired teen takes a deep breath, “but it is what it is. I respect the hell out of that kid so I wouldn’t post anything on him behind his back.” Alya folds her arms over her chest, “now... I know Lady Luck keeps up with the luckyblog but I have no idea if Karma does also. Well, if anything, I’m sure Lady Luck will alert Karma. Time to get to work~”  
  


There’s no way of contacting Lady Luck or Karma through their Miraculouses – even though Markov said there was a 56% chance he could find a way, so Alya settled on just asking to have a chat with Lady Luck about a "magical scoop."  
  
  
Lady Luck actually showed up in front of the Louvre and Alya nearly lost her shit but maintained a modicum of professionalism but was internally freaking out. “Lady Luck, I’m so glad you could make it!”  
  
  
The red-haired hero nods. “What is this... ‘scoop’ you need help with?”

  
“Alix’s brother has a Miraculous and he’s trying to kill her.”

  
Lady Luck does a double take, “I’m... sorry?”

  
Alix sighs, “it’s true. I was caught in a time loop a few months back because, on my birthday, and my papa and older brother kept murdering me. So I kept waking up at 12:32pm, reliving the same day then dying and resetting waking up at the same time. You get the picture.” Lady Luck nods. “Eventually, as I am standing before you, the time loops stopped but I have no idea how... or why. Now my brother can screw with time today, his birthday, and I can’t even imagine what he’ll begin to do if he can cause time loops and reset the today.”

  
Lady Luck frowns, “first off, your brother sounds as despicable as Mite and Méfait.” Alix and Alya nod in agreement. “Second, I’m no magical expert but it obviously sounds as if your family is influenced by time magic. What Miraculous does your brother have?”  
  


“When he reset me he was decked out in a gaudy teal or maybe seafoam snake getup.”

  
“A snake? I—” Lady Luck’s eyes widen, “the kw—Miraculous of resolve. I’ve...” Her eyebrows furrow, “how did he become in possession of it?”

  
“I don’t fully know.”

  
“‘Fully.’” Lady Luck repeats, “then you have some idea.” Before Alix can reply, Lady Luck shakes her head. “Please, don’t tell me if it endangers you further. I simply wish to know you have a grasp of the danger you are in. Rest assured, I will talk to my—kwa—ma. **Karma**. I will talk to my _partner_ Karma and inform her of the situation. You have my word we will both keep an eye on you.”

  
“Thanks Double L, I feel a lot safer knowing you two are gonna be around.”

  
Lady Luck nods absently, “there is one other thing. Mlle. Blogger you have proven to be an invaluable ally so what I am going to say must not be posted anywhere on your blog.” Alya nods fervently. “It is not yet known to the public but there is a hero wielding the rabbit Miraculous known as Bunnyx.” Alya gasps and Alix tries to look as surprised as she can. Because she didn’t think Lady Luck would mention her! _Future_ her! “She’s from four years into the future in a parallel enough universe who specializes in all things time related. Bunnyx does not operate linearly through time and she is rather impossible to predict the few times she does. However, she is trustworthy. Perhaps if I can somehow get in contact with her, I will tell her what you told me and have you seek her guidance as well.”

  
“T-That sounds like a great idea, Lady Luck—”

  
“There are more heroes.” Alya whispers. “Ones from both the future and another universe?” Alya fans herself off with her phone. (Or tries to but it doesn’t do much.)

  
Alix can’t comment about temporary heroes because no one saw her transform last month. But she’s definitely gonna become a more permanent addition to the team once Jalil is taken care of. Admittedly, becoming Bunnyx right after having Lady Luck help her stop her brother is the equivalent of yelling from the Eiffel Tower that she has a Miraculous but as long as Jalil can’t use his Miraculous to stop her, she can’t really find it in herself to care.

  
🐍

  
Every time they meet up it’s on a different monument, this afternoon they’re on the Eiffel Tower and Lady Luck has to wonder why haven’t they met on top of it before.

  
Karma pole vaults herself onto a beam. It’s a far cry from her beginning attempts to get to places. “Hi!” Karma greets holding a paper bag. “It’s snack time switch, right?”

  
“I—” Lady Luck frowns, “I forgot about the camembert.”

  
“Oh. No worries. Plagg’ll grumble but he’ll be fine.”  
  


Lady Luck accepts the offered bag, “thank you. I will bring the camembert next time I see you but I called you for something else. You know of Alix Kubdel, yes?” Karma tilts her head to the left, “she is... tiny. Which sounds wrong for _me_ of all people to say but she is smaller than the average fourteen-year-old girl I’ve seen at François Düpont, and has bright pink hair and blue eyes.” Karma nods slowly, “I believe she is Bunnyx. Or, more accurately, she will be Bunnyx.”

  
Karma plops down on a beam (a bit harder than she meant to but Lady Luck doesn’t notice), “oh?”

  
“She has experienced a time loop on her birthday and is in one now. The rabbit Miraculous is synonymous with time travel and the type of... for a lack of better term, bullshit she mentioned. Plus, her brother has become in possession of the snake Miraculous. There was no snake Miraculous when Tikki changed ownership of the Miracle Box to me. Yet when we were first aware of Cosmic Colt and Bovine, I distinctly remember seeing the snake Miraculous: A bronze ouroboros bangle.”

  
Karma strokes her chin, “I _do_ remember seeing an orange, kinda bronze-ish scale pattern bangle on a greenish square in the Miracle Box.”

  
Lady Luck takes the Miracle Box out of her yo-yo. She takes a seat and Karma scoots closer to her as she opens the daruma doll. There’s an empty teal hook beside the empty blue hook with Bovine’s Miraculous’ symbol.

  
“Did he steal the Miraculous from me?”

  
“He couldn’t’ve if it was already gone by the time Tikki transferred ownership to you, right? He must’ve taken it from Cosmic Colt and Bovine.”

  
“But _how_? They kept the Miracle Box in the horse kwami’s personal dimension.”

  
“That doesn’t mean it was always there.”

  
“True.” Lady Luck sighs, “the two of us will have to alternate keeping an eye on her. Who knows how many times we’ll end up repeating the day being none the wiser.”  
  


Karma lolls her head from side to side, “if it’s gonna be a long day I’ll brew us up some coffee.”

  
“I’m not a big coffee drinker. Ironic, given the theory that it stunts your growth.”

  
“I’ve been drinking coffee since I was seven and I only grew this tall several months ago. So... no coffee? Are energy drinks more your speed?”  
  
  
Lady Luck nods. “I also drink tea and soda. Allow me to provide the refreshments.”

  
“I don’t have a problem getting them but if you want to, you can.”

  
Lady Luck puts the daruma doll back in the yo-yo. “It’s a good thing there’s no school today. I believe it would be prudent we did research on both the snake Miraculous and Alix Kubdel’s family history.”

  
“Agreed. I’m gonna need twice the recommended amount of caffeine to slug through this.”

  
“Believe me, you are not the only one.”


	2. what snakes do to rabbits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The only thing that makes sense is that nothing makes sense. ~~There's a good Alice In Wonderland pun to make here but it's probably not the best time.~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter isn’t written linearly. It will get confusing and there are parts that will repeat, this was done intentionally. For the most part, I am aware of what I’m doing.  
> As this is France, I’m using the French Pokémon names. Serebii-dot-net has yet to steer me wrong.

_Wed, Nov 11 th, 2020?_

  
Alix opens her eyes, “ _you tried it again, didn’t you? I told you I’ll always be one step ahead of you, baby sister. I thought you’d at least try to put up a fight_.”

  
🐍

  
Fluff rubs their paws together then gently taps Alix on the forehead.

  
🐍

  
Marinette sucks in a breath. “I have an idea... but you’re not gonna like it.”

  
🐍

  
“ _Don’t you ever get tired of being wrong_?”

  
🐍

  
Fluff rubs their paws together then gently taps Alix on the forehead.

  
🐍

  
Jalil coughs up blood as Alix twist the knife in his back. “Fitting, wouldn’t you agree?”

  
🐍

  
“First day of quatrième outfit is all planned out.”

  
Kim rubs the back of his neck. “You know I love you, Marinette, but given your clumsiness you’d better make a backup outfit... just in case.”

  
🐍

  
“Uh, I don’t think Jalil is getting tired as fast as we hoped. This is the fifteenth reset.” Plagg and Fluff style Marinette’s hair in two top chignon buns.  
  


🐍

  
“ _You know what snakes do to rabbits, don’t you Alix_?”

  
“It’s snakes and mice, dumbass.”

  
🐍

  
“Clockwise, Fluff.”

  
🐍

  
“ _Your stubbornness is going to be your undoing_.”

  
🐍

  
“ _I wonder what’ll happen if I kill you and take the rabbit Miraculous? That’ll make me the new Avatar of Time, wouldn’t it_?”

  
🐍

  
“Fluff, clockwise!”

  
🐍

  
Alix’s eyes snap open and the pink-haired teen jerks forward in bed and a cloth falls off her forehead and onto her lap. “I need to start wearing a watch.” Alix grabs her phone from under her pillow and checks the time.

  
“Why would you need to do that when you already have a pocketwatch?” Fluff questions.

  
“This time loop doesn’t feel like the last one. I’m getting fragments of things that make no sense together.”

  
“That’s because it’s not just your Miraculous’ magic. It’s the snake and yours—mine combined, but not in a good way. To put it bluntly, Jalil doesn’t know what he’s doing. He’s not the Avatar of Resolve and doesn’t have a full grasp of time magic despite what he may think; plus, your brother – quite frankly – is a dumbass. Also, Sass isn’t gonna just let your brother use his full potential to attack the Avatar of Time.”

  
“Are kwamis allowed to just say fuck it and withhold stuff from their partner?”

  
“Yes. We aren’t permitted to lie, but our wielders can’t lie to us either.” Alix hums, “we are not forced to obey our wielder’s every whim unless we are literally bound to do so. And as he is not a sage, Jalil cannot command Sass to blindly obey or attack with extreme prejudice. Also, also – while every kwami is equal in power, the Avatar of Time cannot be killed by kwami magic.”

  
“Oh.” Alix blinks, “wait a second. If I am immune to _permanently_ dying via kwami magic, any other type of magic or any ol’ random non-magical way can kill me.”

  
Fluff pauses then nods, “yes. But on the bright side? You do know you’ll live to be at least eighteen.” Alix glares at the kwami.

  
🐍

  
Alix opens her eyes and looks up at the ceiling. “Alix, I have something to tell you.” The pink-haired teen slowly sits up then faces Marinette. Alix blinks because her best friend looks a little... different. Her hair is in a high ponytail. The grin on her face is a little manic but not in the way she’s used to. Marinette holds out a very familiar ring in her palm. “I got magic.”

  
🐍

  
“ _Let me see your famed ‘warrior spirit’ get through this_.”

  
🐍

  
“Look at the big picture, Mini-Me.”

  
🐍

  
There are six individuals dressed as animals surrounding Alix. “Your asshole brother can’t take on all of us.”

  
🐍

  
“...there will be dozens of people for Jalil to watch!” Marinette’s voice echoes.

🐍

  
Lady Luck and Karma toast their soda cans.

  
🐍

  
Lady Luck holds a box in her hands. “Alya Césaire, this is the Miraculous of the—”

  
🐍

  
“Remember, you’re the only Miraculous wielder who can use your powers without transforming.” Fluff reminds her.

  
🐍

  
“ **Stop**.” Alix opens her eyes. “I’m sick of this shit. Time can’t be commanded but it’s damn sure not gonna dictate my life for me!” Alix gets up from the chaise looking around Marinette’s room. The blue-haired teen is missing. “Marinette?”

  
🐍

  
Alix looks at the box in her hands questioningly. “Skates?”

  
Her father nods, “you always seem to be running late. I figured these might help with that.”

  
🐍

  
“My name is Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, what’s yours?”

  
🐍

  
“I’m Alix. Alix Kubdel.”

  
🐍

  
Alix and Marinette, both four years old, hug, “best friends.”

  
🐍

  
“That’s—” Marinette happily claps her hands together. “We share a birthday? That is so cool!”

  
🐍

  
“What did I do... in the last reset? I mean, in the world that didn’t have Lady Luck?”

  
Future Alix tilts her head to the left, folding her arms over her chest, “that world ceased to exist so I can’t show you.”

  
“What do you mean it ‘ceased to exist?’ It’s gone?!”

  
“I told you. If Minibug and Chaos-Nette aren’t both in possession of their Miraculouses the entire multiverse will plunge into an unbalanced mess. To paraphrase. Any universes without both heroes are kaputski. They’ve been restarted and blended into a different universe where Minibug and Mari-Chaos are together, like I did with this one. I _can_ take you to a universe where Marinette is Lady Luck known there as Luckybeetle. And Minibug is Lady Night.”

  
“Is Alya’s blog still called the luckyblog?”

  
“Oh, absolutely.”

  
🐍

  
“‘Every significant memory in your life merging together?’” Fluff rubs their head, “I don’t recall the sages mentioning this.”

  
🐍  
  


“What if we give someone else the rabbit Miraculous temporarily?”

  
“Someone like who?” Alix stares at Marinette then shakes her head, “oh no. No, no, no. I can’t do that to you. What if you get hurt?”

  
“I got this, Alix.”

  
🐍

  
Alix scratches her head. “Does this even count as a time loop? I don’t think time has passed?”

  
🐍

  
“ _You lose, baby sister. Clockwise, Fluff_.”

  
🐍

  
Frowning, Fluff hovers over Alix’s unconscious body then puts their paws on Alix’s closed eyes.

  
🐍

  
“Jalil, this is your sister Alix.”

  
🐍

  
“Alix Kubdel. Avatar of Time.” Cosmic Colt says.

  
🐍

  
“ _You are worthless_.”

  
“And you’re a jealous bitch. You’ve been putting me down my whole life. Thinking you’re so fucking high and mighty. You’re about to get your ass beat by someone ten years younger than you.”

  
“ _I don’t care what kind of freakishly strong power-up you were born with. You can’t beat me_!”

  
“Put your money where your fangs are, Snake Boy.”

  
🐍

  
Marinette hovers over the body and makes a face, “is he dead?”

  
Alix turns to her, “does it matter?”

  
🐍

  
“In fourteen years, M. and Mme. Kubdel, your unborn child must be gifted the Miraculous of time.” The couple stares at the hexagonal black and red box on the table in front of them.

  
🐍

  
The sages shake their heads. “Ironic the ones obsessed with time will conceive the one who protects time from individuals like them.”

  
🐍

  
“Okay. I am digging this look.” Alix turns around looking at herself in the mirror. She’s wearing a red and black polkadotted catsuit. Her ankle high boots and fingerless gloves are all black with red seams. Her hair is also black and much longer than usual; growing her usual side ponytail – with a red ribbon holding it in place – to over her left shoulder.

  
🐍

  
“Get up, Alix, you got this.” Marinette cheers.

  
🐍

  
“I’m Tikki, kwami of Lady Luck.”

  
🐍

  
“A duo of badass superheroes?” Alix and Marinette high-five.

  
“Ready?” Marinette swings her yo-yo and Alix unlatches her baton from her back sheath.

  
“Oh yeah.”

  
🐍

  
“Are there any universes in which I’m not the Avatar of Time?”

  
“You’re—We’re always the Avatar of Time. It’s one of the few constants throughout the multiverse. There are, however, universes in which you— _we_ expertly wield more than just the rabbit.”

  
🐍

  
Alix clutches her head, “this is giving me a headache. I don’t know what’s what!”

  
🐍

  
“Jalil went back in time and killed Minibug.” Future Alix holds a pair of half circle green gold earrings in her hands. “You need to be the ladybug Miraculous wielder.”

  
“I have to wield _both_!?” Marinette exclaims.

  
🐍

  
Marinette wraps Alix up in a hug, then Kim, Nathaniel, Vinh, Marc, Max, Markov, Juleka, and Alya join in and group hug her.

  
🐍

  
“Ladies of blackberry clobber, we have... a situation. One of your own is being mercilessly hunted by her cowardly older brother for obtaining a family heirloom.” The girls gasp as Lady Luck paces the floor, “Alix Kubdel needs your assistance in protecting her life.”

  
“Alix has done so much for the team!” Sabrina yells, “we’d be lost without her! We owe her everything!” The others cheer in agreement.

  
“There’s no way we’re gonna let her down!” Aurore exclaims.

  
“Gear up, girls. It’s time to protect Alix!” Karma cheers.

  
🐍

  
“ _Do you know what’s real from what isn’t? I bet you don’t_.”

  
🐍

  
“There is a very good chance none of us are going to remember this.” Lady Luck sighs, “but it is what it is.” Juleka, Marc, Alya, and Max stare wide-eyed at the boxes in their hands. “Before you are the Miraculouses of the mouse, tiger, dog, and pig.”

  
Alya’s eyes light up and she can’t contain her squeal of excitement.

  
🐍

  
“Greetings, Avatar of Time. I am Cosmic Colt, former guardian of the Miraculouses.”

  
“That’s a terrible name but I’m calling myself Bunnyx so who am I to talk?”

  
🐍

  
“Why did we pick the name ‘Bunnyx?’”

  
Future Alix puts a hand to her head, “in the ‘original’ Alix Kubdel receives her Miraculous universe – or the ‘first,’ the media began calling her—me—the rabbit ‘Bunny-x.’”

  
🐍

  
When Cosmic Colt opens the box it separates and splits in two directions. The side on the left has five spaces on the outer side with two spaces in the centre. The side on the right has six spaces on both the outer and inner sides.

  
Four spaces are empty on the side with seven spaces that make up the colors of a rainbow, while three are missing from the side with twelve spaces. Each of the nineteen spaces from the two combined box sides are a different color.  
  


🐍

  
The opened daruma doll has nineteen hooks. Six hooks on the top shelf, six on the middle shelf, and seven on the bottom shelf. Each hook is a different color and eleven of the nineteen hooks have jewelry hanging from them.

  
🐍

  
Bovine groans, clutching her side. “What do you hope to accomplish, Jalil Kubdel? By stealing the snake Miraculous?”

  
Jalil smirks slipping the charcoal ouroboros bangle on his left wrist, “ _I thought you could see into the future Marianne Lenoir? I am going to fix my destiny. I will not be second place to a_ child!”

  
“Your arrogance is why you will never succeed.”

  
“ _Careful, Old Woman, I repeatedly murdered my own sister, do you think I would hesitate to kill you_?”

  
🐍

  
“I am the kwami of resolve.”

  
“ _What does that even mean_!?”

  
🐍

  
Future Alix spreads her arms out wide. “Alix Kubdel, all the knowledge of the multiverse is within you.”

  
🐍

  
“Spots off, Tikki.” Alix gasps staring at the girl in front of her.

  
🐍

  
Eleven-year-old Jalil looks into the crib – _his old crib_ – with a sneer. “ _What makes_ you _so damn special_?”

  
🐍

  
With a groan, Tikki restlessly floats in the air. “Time loop. Of course it’s a time loop.” She groans, “I should have sought out The Avatar of Time during the last loop.”

  
“How did the last time loop effect us?”

  
“For the most part, it didn’t. I didn’t even realize a loop was going on until the fourth or fifth reset. It... has been a while since the last time I got caught in a time loop I had no direct involvement in or even an indirect involvement.”

  
🐍

  
“I hate time loops!” Tikki screams.

  
🐍

  
“Sugarcube?”

  
Tikki turns around and sees the black kwami then happily flies toward him. “ _Plagg_!” The two kwamis hug and laugh in each other’s arms.

  
🐍

  
“Time to get to work, Avatar of Time.”

  
“Who the hell are you?”

  
Alix gasps as the person in front of her takes off their hood. “Surprise, in some universes you live past eighteen.”

  
“Future Me sought out a Future Us?” The pink-haired woman nods. “Wait, you said in _some_ universes!”

  
🐍

  
Marinette rolls up her sleeves. Future Alix rests her hands on her fourteen-year-old counterpart’s shoulders. “That girl is the type of friend that’ll help you bury a body without questioning it. She’s a keeper.”

  
🐍

  
“Remember, there is no Alix Kubdel kicking ass without Marinette Dupain-Cheng by her side.” Future Alix grins, “it’s one of the constants in the multiverse.”

  
🐍

  
“I don’t understand. Couldn’t Alix be the Avatar of Destruction as well?”

  
The old man strokes his beard, “she certainly fits the bill, doesn’t she? Can you imagine a universe in which we have **Alix Kubdel** at the helm of bad luck? _The_ herald of destruction?” The two of them shudder.

  
🐍

  
“No way. That’s my middle name too!” Marinette giggles, “could we be an anymore perfect pair of best friends?”

  
🐍

  
The rabbit Miraculous wielder falls out of one her portals. “Wait. Bunnyx?”

  
Alix blinks, “Marinette?”

  
The black-haired girl in the ladybug outfit throws her head back in a laugh, “there’s only one person who’d be able to see through my glamour so easily. I should’ve known you were Bunnyx, Alix.” She shakes her head, chuckling. “Anyway, it’s probably not the best time to call each other by our civilian names. I go by Crimson Streak.”

  
“Nice.”

🐍

  
“How do I get out of this time loop?”

  
“Beats me. I’m just as confused as you are.”  
  


“Fluff, you are absolutely no help!’

  
🐍

  
“Okay. Okay.” Alix takes a deep breath. “I know that this is some sort of unorthodox time loop in which I’m seeing things that either happened already or are in the process of happening. But it’s like I’m in a window looking in and can’t do anything.”

  
“You’re in Bunnyx’s time prism. It’s like the looking glass for the multiverse. Everything you see isn’t in just one universe.”

  
“How am I in Bunnyx’s time prism if I’m not transformed?”

  
“That... is a good question.” Fluff rubs their head, “maybe—”

  
They both scream as Bunnyx drops down in front of them. “Sorry about that.” Alix squints _up_ at the woman holding an umbrella against her shoulder. This isn’t her usual Bunnyx. While the woman before her is roughly the same height and build, her hair is _blue_ rather than white and her eyes are all white with no pupils. “Greetings Mini-Me, ready to stop fucking around and do something?”

  
“Very ready.”

  
“Then are you prepared to do whatever it takes?”

  
“I am.”

  
Bunnyx grins, “splendid! I just need to grab up Not-So-Mini-Nette and we can get started!” A portal opens and Marinette falls through. Only this Marinette is much shorter – or rather she is the Marinette prior to July 2020.

  
“Seriously?”

  
Marinette looks around, “what the hell is happening? Alix?” She runs over to the pink-haired teen. “Where did I come from and where am I?”

  
“Oopsie.” Bunnyx snaps her fingers and that Marinette disappears in a puff of black smoke. “Wrong one. Sorry about that.” The woman holds out her left hand and a portal opens and Marinette drops through but she manages to semi-gracefully land on her feet. Marinette runs over to the fourteen-year-old Alix and protectively wraps her arms around her.

  
“You’re not Bunnyx.”

  
“Oh, I am. I am the ‘original’ Bunnyx. I’m twenty-eight-years old running around in a lycra catsuit fighting a fucking middle aged megalomaniac trio of a moth, bee, and peafowl. I. Am. Tired.” She sighs running a hand through her hair, “now then. Let’s begin. Alix Kubdel, you have the knowledge of the multiverse at your disposal.”

  
“Technically, considering there is an Alix Kubdel in every universe.”

  
Bunnyx smiles. “That’s my, well, _me_.” Marinette is still practically cradling Alix. “Avatar of Creation...” She pauses, “or are you the Avatar of Destruction in this universe?” Bunnyx carelessly waves a hand in the air, “doesn’t matter. They are the same coin, just with opposing sides. Your plan will fail, repeatedly. There are two universes in which Jalil murders you and obtains the rabbit Miraculous. These... particular events have caused indent orbs. You are going to stop them from spreading.”

  
“How?” Marinette asks.

  
“By fucking with this time stream. Well, not _this_ time stream.” Bunnyx waves a hand and opens a portal.

  
“I thought we were specifically forbidden from messing with key events?” Marinette asks.

  
“These events have already been messed with. You’re just taking the steps necessary to right them.” Marinette and fourteen-year-old Alix share a questioning glance. “Things are gonna be a bit... different from your universe but remember the constants. Jalil is a cowardly punk-ass bitch that doesn’t deserve any sort of power. And Alix Kubdel and Marinette Dupain-Cheng are an unstoppable force.”

  
“Let me ask... me something. Me and Marinette. Are the sages at all responsible for us finding each other?”

  
Bunnyx smiles, “not the sages. You two found each other, magic be damned, and the universe okayed that. What you two have is one of the most powerful forces in existence. Amplifying it with Miraculous magic?” Bunnyx whistles. “I wouldn’t wanna fight against it. Now, into the portal you go.”

  
Marinette and Alix stare at each other then hold hands.

  
🐍

  
“Fluff, clockwise!”

  
“ _Not so fast, baby sister_.” Jalil tries to reach out and grab the pocketwatch but Karma knocks his hand out of the way with her baton.

  
“Come on you sick son of a bitch, I’ve been waiting to get my claws on you.”

  
🐍

  
“Karma, Alix Kubdel is Bunnyx ...or will be.”

  
“What do we do?”

  
“We help her deal with this then help her train with her power.”

  
🐍

  
“ _You may call me Monsieur Viper_.”

  
Alix and Marinette share a confused glance, “Séviper?”

  
Snake-Jalil facepalms. “ _No, you morons_!”

  
🐍

  
Karma has one hand in the air. “Skaters, on your mark.”

  
🐍

  
Alix headbutts Jalil ripping the bangle off his wrist, instantly breaking his transformation. “If you ever even think of laying a hand on Marinette again, I’ll split you in half!”

  
🐍

  
“ _Greatest strength or greatest weakness? I wonder which Marinette is to you_?”

  
🐍

  
Marinette blinks at the box in front of her, “Marinette Dupain-Cheng, you are the closest person to Alix Kubdel. I am entrusting you with the Miraculous of the fox to assist me and Karma in protecting her.”

  
Marinette gulps, “a-are you sure?” Lady Luck nods.

  
🐍

  
“People of Paris! You’d really leave your fate to an unstable Miraculous wielder?” The large butterfly proclaims.

  
🐍

  
Marinette pulls the bloody blade out of the lifeless body on the ground, “is it wrong that this felt cathartic?”

  
“One down, one to go.” Alix reminds her.

  
🐍

  
“What... are you wearing?”

  
“Shh! I’m the fox and cat fused. Lady Luck doesn’t know she gave Marinette the perfect Miraculous to help both her and you!” Alix looks at the bushy black tail swishing excitedly.

  
🐍

  
“You suggest I put my daughter in some kind of ‘troubled kid’ program?”

  
“M. Kubdel, your daughter is the actual unabridged definition of a problem child.” Officer Raincomprix glares at the pink-haired girl that lit several police cars on fire with that smug look on her face. “You are lucky the prescient isn’t pressing charges.”

  
“You would press charges on a six-year-old girl?”

  
“Arson is a very serious crime, M. Kubdel. Either agree to enter her into the program or fill out her paperwork for voluntary incarceration, your choice.”

  
🐍

  
Jalil beams, “ _you are in so much trouble_ ~”

  
🐍

  
“ _Why does_ she _get the pocketwatch_!?”

  
“How many times are we going to have this conversation, Jalil? I did not select Alix for the Miraculous of Time. The sages did.”

  
“ _What do the sages know_?”

  
“What do _you_ know!?”

  
🐍

  
“You’re going to what?”

  
“A ‘camp.’” Alix rolls her eyes tossing the tennis ball across the room, “papa says it’ll be fun but we both know it’s bullshit.”

  
“I’ll talk to bàba and māmā and—”

  
Alix shakes her head, “no. I don’t want you to have a bad summer because of me.” Marinette frowns and Alix puts a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry.”

  
🐍

  
Alix puts her foot on the much larger boy’s head, “anyone else wanna make fun of my pink hair?” The other kids on the bus furiously shake their heads. Moving her foot, she grabs the kid by his hair, “you’re lucky you caught me in a good mood or you’d be trying not to swallow your baby teeth.” She hisses letting go of his head.

  
Alix looks around the bus for a seat. All the kids are nervously forcing a smile in her direction. In the back of the bus is a redhead with their head buried in a sketchbook. Alix begins making her way to the back.

  
“N-No!” A brunette yelps, “you don’t wanna be with _him_. He’s such a freak.”

  
Alix glares at the girl and she snaps her mouth shut. She reaches the back and takes a seat.

  
“Okay kid—what happened?!” The counselor picks the boy off the bus’ floor. “Are you okay?” He briefly glances around the bus before looking up at the counselor nodding. “Then take a seat. Why are you on the floor?” The counselor shakes their head. “We’re heading to Fontainebleau which is about an hour or so away—” The kids groan. “they have a very good reform program in one of their castles. What kid doesn’t want to visit a castle!”

  
Alix gently taps the redhead on the shoulder. When they raise their head, Alix sees blood coming out of their nose. “Whoa. Who hit you?”

  
“Hm?” The redhead presses a hand to their nose. Sighing, they take an already bloody napkin and press it against their nose mixing the fresh blood with the dried blood. “No one hit me. I get nosebleeds all the time.” The kid frowns when several drops of blood fall on their sketchbook.

  
Alix watches the rest of the bus looking in their direction. She flips them the bird and they startle and turn to the front. “I’m Alix. What’s your name?”  
  


“Nathaniel.” The kid brushes some hair from their left eye.

  
“What are you in for?”

  
Nathaniel sniffles, wiping their nose again, then looks at her. “Huh?”

  
“This is a you have a bad kid and we’re gonna fix ‘em ‘resort.’ I’ve been called a tiny terror that won’t amount to much in society.”

  
“Um... truth be told? I-I don’t know what I’m being punished for. I think my maman’s boyfriend just wants me out the way. He tries to hit me and breaks stuff then blames me for it. He must’ve suggested this and my maman said okay without even asking me.”

  
Alix puts an arm around his shoulder, “that sucks. Why do the other kids call you a freak? Is it because of the nosebleeds?” The redhead shrugs, “guess it don’t matter. You’re with me now, ‘kay?”

  
🐍

  
“The tiny tot’s got spirit. I like it.” Alix’s eyes narrow. The brunet holds his right arm out on the table then wiggles his fingers, “c’mon Shrimp, you wanna challenge me? I haven’t lost an arm wrestle in this school yet.”

  
Marinette has her hands on Alix’s shoulders, “you can take him.”

  
“Kim, she’s a girl, she can’t arm wrestle!”

  
“What are you talking about? Of course girls can arm wrestle! Did you hit your head or something? My sister and I arm wrestle all the time.” The smaller boy gapes at the brunet but he doesn’t notice as he stares at the pink-haired girl. “Come on Pink Hair, you chicken?”

  
Alix’s right eye twitches before she approaches the desk with a growl, “your voice is starting to annoy me.”

  
“It’s gonna annoy you even more if I win~” Alix holds out her right hand the black-haired kid instructs Alix to move up so she can fully reach the brunet. Once she’s closer the black-haired kid joins their hands.

  
“Rules are simple. Whoever gets the other’s hand down on the desk is the winner. Kim Lê Chiên our champion versus ...uh—”

  
“Alix Kubdel!” Marinette replies.

  
“Versus Alix Crumple!”

  
“It’s...” Marinette groans, “oh forget it.”

  
🐍

  
Kim gasps as Lady Luck holds out a box, “Kim Lê Chiên, this is the Miraculous of the rooster. You will use it to help me and Karma protect Alix Kubdel.”

  
He accepts the box and opens it. “You’re damn right I will!”

  
🐍

  
Kim groans. “Wait a second, you mean to tell me Jalil is trying this time loop shit _again_? Maybe you didn’t kill him hard enough last time.”

  
🐍

  
“You have a thing for Marc?”

  
Nathaniel blushes, “I-I—”

  
Alix cackles, “oh this is priceless!”

  
“Stop laughing. I feel bad enough as it is I keep getting crushes on people I can barely form conversations with.” Alix puts a hand on his shoulder.

  
“Do you want my help or not?”

  
“Everything in me is saying I don’t but...” He sighs, “what are you gonna do?” Alix waggles her eyebrows.

  
🐍

  
“So, um... a new hero.” Clearing his throat, Nathaniel adjusts his shirt collar. “T-They _held me_.” Mumbling, he buries his face in his hands.

  
“Dude, I can’t understand you!” Alix shakes the redhead but he doesn’t move his face from his hands.

  
🐍

  
Marinette does a double take. “Wait! Nathaniel had a crush on me?!”

  
🐍

  
“Y-You drew the new bunny hero?”

  
Nathaniel smiles with a nod, flipping back a few pages in his sketchbook then showing Alix the drawing.

  
🐍

  
“ _Your fanclub isn’t safe. Your friends aren’t safe. What makes you think_ you _are?_ ”

  
🐍

  
“ _You really believe you’d made a difference in_ anyone’s _life? Get over yourself_.”

  
🐍

  
“ _All the negative thoughts swirling around in that pea-sized brain of yours? They aren’t mine alone_.”

  
🐍

  
“I don’t owe you an explanation.” Her father snarls.

  
🐍

  
“This isn’t a fair trade! Take my life instead! **Please** don’t take my Jade!”

  
🐍

  
“M. Kubdel? W-Would you like to hold your daughter?” The nurse asks.

  
🐍

  
“There’s something about her father that rubs me the wrong way.” Sabine whispers and Tom nods in agreement.

  
“Can we legally adopt a child from under their parent’s nose?”

  
“We can certainly _try_.”

  
🐍

  
" _You are all brawn, and no brain_."

  
🐍

  
“First kisses are supposed to be important so I want it with someone important.”

  
Marinette blushes, “I don’t think that’s how it works, Alix...”

  
🐍

  
Alix’s right hand busts through the cocoon. Jalil’s eyes widen as Alix breaks the entire containment barrier. “ _N-No! This... This is impossible_!”

  
“You underestimated her.” Fluff says with a smirk.

  
🐍

  
“Wake up, Alix.”

  
Blue eyes snap open and Alix lunges out of bed and on her feet. She looks around Marinette’s room. The blue-haired teen is haphazardly sprawled out on her bed snoring softly.

  
Fluff flies over to her, “today’s the day.” They open the pocketwatch that projects 11.11.20.

  
“Jalil’s birthday.” Alix cracks her knuckles, “I believe I owe him a present.”

  
🐍

  
“Your brother is acting strange.”

  
“I’m sorry but I stopped caring about you and ‘my brother’ when you two kept on killing me. Fluff, let’s get the hell out of here.”

  
“I’m trying to help you.”

  
“Why? You weren’t much help in my life. All you did was do whatever you could to dump me onto everyone else! The problem child you couldn’t deal with! Not that you even tried! I didn’t ask to be born and I didn’t willingly trade your wife’s life for mine!” Her father’s eyes widen. “The next time you even think of hurting _my family_ , I’ll skip the loops and kill you for real.”

  
“Y-You... You’d threaten your own father!?”

  
“You’re damn right I would! And you lost the right to call yourself that.”

  
🐍

  
“I’m at my wit’s end with that girl.”

  
“She needs a positive female role model, Hun. Let me talk to her.”

  
🐍

  
“Alix.” Nathaniel whispers.

  
🐍

  
“Meditation is a bit difficult with my attention span.” Alix mutters.

  
🐍

  
Alix’s eyes flash white and Jalil takes a step back. She tightens her grip on the baton and gives him a shark-like grin, “you weren’t prepared for _that_ , were you asshole? You’re one dead motherfucker, Jalil.”

  
🐍

  
“ _What do the sages know? Give me the time magic._ ”

  
“I lost my wife because of this useless trinket! If they say it’s Alix’s then it’s Alix’s; end of discussion!”

  
🐍

  
The sages shake their heads. “Your family is cursed, M. Kubdel and I believe you know exactly why.”

  
🐍

  
“Light up the roller derby track, blackberry clobber!” The announcer exclaims.

  
🐍

  
Alix’s father shakes his head as he watches his daughter chasing after her classmates with a broomstick. “Maybe giving her roller skates wasn’t the best idea I’ve ever had.”

  
🐍

  
Lady Luck takes the Miracle Box out of her yo-yo. She takes a seat and Karma scoots closer to her as she opens the daruma doll. There’s an empty teal hook beside the empty blue hook with Bovine’s Miraculous’ symbol. “Does that look like a snake?”

  
Karma squints in the endless nothingness of the Miracle Box. “Could be?”

  
🐍

  
“ _We’ll be seeing each other again, real soon_.”

  
🐍

  
“Alix, wake— _ooh_. Need to take a few steps back first.” Marinette, Fluff, and Plagg all move back.

  
🐍

  
“Clockwise, Fluff.”

  
🐍

  
“ _What the hell is going on, Sass_?”

  
“I believe you’re losing, Master.”

  
🐍

  
“Clockwise. Clockwise, clockwise, clockwise!”

  
🐍

  
“You’re almost there, Alix.” Marinette whispers. “You got this. And when you do get it, I’ll be right beside you.”

  
🐍

  
“ _Alright, this is getting tiring_.” Jalil back in his teal _leather_ snake ~~onesie~~ catsuit has a harp of all things in his hand. His hair is still gelled back and the same color of his snakeskin, scale patterned suit. He hovers over Alix’s unconscious body staring at Fluff, “ _if you want to save her, you’ll tell me how to transform_.”

  
“As Alix would say: Go to hell, Freak.”

  
🐍

  
“ _Now just how did you get Lady Luck and Karma to waste their time protecting you_?”

  
🐍

  
“ **Stop**.” Jalil holds his arms out, “ _this isn’t getting us anywhere. I don’t even know what’s happening_.”

  
“It’s because, Master, you lack the skill to wield my Miraculous.”

  
“ _You shut up! I know all there is to know about time magic_!”  
  


Sass scoffs, “evidently you do not or you wouldn’t be caught in an endless time loop of your creation. The powers of the snake and rabbit are entwined, though not in the way they should be. The only way these fragmented loops will stop is if you or the Avatar of Time die.”

  
Jalil sighs, “ _and we’re back to killing Alix. She really isn’t so important for me to dedicate a second day to killing her_.”

  
🐍

Jalil takes the bangle off and the sheer overwhelming aura the action exudes has him dropping to his knees. Sass carelessly floats out of the bangle shaking his head.

  
🐍

  
Jalil opens his eyes then turns over in his bed, fully intending on getting some more sleep. A soft thud causes him to furrow his eyebrows. The brunet begrudgingly gets up then looks around his room. His eyes land on a small black hexagonal box on the floor. Jalil picks up the box from the floor looking at the sticky note that has _happy birthday_ written on it.

  
Who says you’re too old to receive birthday presents?

  
Curious, Jalil opens the box. A bright green light shoots out of the box causing Jalil to instinctively shield his eyes and drop the box. Once the dots are no longer dancing around his eyes, he picks up the box again and stares at the charcoal ouroboros bangle. “Greetings.” An unfamiliar, bored voice greets. Jalil stares at the tiny floating snake-like creature staring back at him. “I am Sass, kwami of resolve.”

  
Jalil gasps, “ _a kwami? Just like my sister has_!” He puts the bangle on his right wrist. “ _How do I transform. I need to_ —”

  
“I will stop you right there, Jalil Kubdel.” Jalil scowls at the kwami. “You are putting your life in danger by using this power. You have no idea how dangerous my Miraculous is corrupted.”

  
“ _And I don’t care! I command you to tell me the transformation phrase_.”

  
Sass bares his fangs hissing, “you command **me**?” Sass flies over to Jalil’s head pressing his hands on the brunet’s forehead. “I will give you all the knowledge you misplaced by using my Miraculous _poorly_ then bringing yourself back to the exact moment you put my bangle on. You are the worst wielder I have ever had!”  
  


Jalil falls to his knees as he’s overwhelmed with thousands of images flashing in his head. _But_ in all the fog he’s able to hear the words he needs to say. “ _Scales slither, Sass_.” The kwami hisses as he gets sucked into the bangle.

  
Transformed, Jalil gets up and looks at himself in the mirror. Not bad. Leather’s not... usually his thing but he’ll work with it. Time to go and kill Alix, for good.

  
He clicks the bangle back a few fangs. “ _Second chance, reset me to this moment if I am unresponsive in forty-five minutes_.” The fang the bangle is caught on turns black. He can’t create portals like Alix can—

  
Eyebrows furrowing, Jalil looks at the murky black ooze on his bangle. His eyes widen as a butterfly mask outline appears over his eyes. “Snake Eyes, I am Madame Mite. I believe you and I can help each other out.”

  
🐍  
  
Alix and Marinette make a face, “November 11th.” They mutter. “Jalil’s birthday.”

  
“If I get caught in another time loop—” Alix gets up then disappears.

  
“What the—!?” Marinette looks around then spots the portal and dives in it before it dissolves.

  
Cosmic Colt and Bovine are standing in front of them. “Alix Kubdel, your life is in grave danger.”

  
The pink-haired teen sighs, “I figured—”

  
“You don’t understand. The corruption of the snake Miraculous is unlike any corruption I have ever seen before.” Bovine warns, “the hatred your brother has for you combined with Mite’s corruption... it’s unfathomable.”

  
🐍

  
Alix and Marinette simultaneously groan, “it’s November 11th.” They mutter.

  
“Oh no.” Fluff floats off the pillow and puts one paw on Marinette’s head and the other on Alix’s. They both shake their heads and look around. “Personally, I think it’s cheating but with Mite’s help, Jalil is wielding the snake Miraculous better than before.”

  
Alix sighs, “then let’s go ahead with the plan.”

  
“I’m confused. I have about a dozen separate plans in my head and none of them are completed.”

  
Alix scratches her head, “the plan is us killing Jalil with Lady Luck and blackberry clobber’s help. As for the steps that entails? I got none.”

  
Marinette waves her off, “we’ll figure it out as we go along. You contact Alya and Lady Luck. I’m gonna make myself scarce. Just in case.”

  
Alix hugs her, “be careful.”

  
🐍

  
“ _Marinette Dupain-Cheng_.” Marinette turns around and sees Jalil in his snake Miraculous outfit – presumably. “ _If memory serves, I owe you a gruesome death_.”

  
Marinette smiles, “please note I will respond in kind.”

  
Jalil lowers the mask over his nose and mouth to bare his fangs. “ _I’ll take my time killing you_.” He takes a step forward then pauses, “ _son of a_ —” He hisses, _“you got lucky. Second chance_!” Then he disappears.

  
🐍

  
Jalil’s eyes snap open. He sits up with a wince. As he puts his hand to his left side, he feels the wetness permeating through his clothes. When he moves his hand, it’s covered in blood. Looking down, he sees his whole left side is bloody and bleeding. “ _What ...happened_?!”

  
“You were unresponsive after forty-five minutes. Probably not the best idea to have the Second Chance set to revive you in your bedroom where Mlle. Alix has access to.”

  
“ _Revive_?” Jalil repeats.

  
“You were suffocated, in your sleep.”

  
 ~~What a fucking irony.~~ “ _But if I was suffocated... why am I bleeding_?”

  
“You don’t remember?” Sass tsks, “the reset before the suffocation, you were stabbed... repeatedly. These are just your previous deaths, reminding you of what happened. Even possessed by an akuma, you are no match for Mlle. Alix.”

  
“ **Silence**!" Jalil’s voice booms. Sass’ eyes widen as his mouth slowly begins to disappear. “ _Huh. Well, I wish I knew about that earlier_.” The kwami glares at him. “ _Scales slither, Sass_.” Still glaring, the kwami floats into the bangle. “ _Second Chance_.” He clicks back the bangle, “ _reset me to this moment if I am unresponsive in thirty minutes_.”

  
🐍

  
Alix pulls the blade out of Jalil’s bleeding neck with her foot pressed against his shoulder. “ _You fucking brat_.”

  
“And you’re a fucking prick. Well, I guess that makes us square.”

  
🐍

  
“ _Scales recede_.” Sass, without his mouth, wordlessly floats out of the bangle. “ _I don’t understand. I have more knowledge. I have more skill. I’m bigger. I may not be physically stronger than the freak but the magic should grant me a strength boost. What am I doing wrong?_ ” Sass merely rolls his eyes. “ **Talk**.”

  
Sass glares as his mouth reappears. “You want my honest opinion, 'Master?' You don’t know what you’re doing! Save yourself the embarrassment and forfeit ownership of me before I’m taken by Mme. Mite and M. Méfait.”

  
Jali’s eyes narrow. “ _I understand why you were given the name you have_.”

  
🐍

  
“ _Stabbed, pushed off a building, bludgeoned to death. These are some of the ways Alix was murdered! I hadn’t realized how many idiots will blindly follow her! And to have Lady Luck and Karma waste their time protecting her_?” Jalil runs both hands through his hair.

  
🐍

  
“Art club~” Alix sing-songs. Nathaniel fondly shakes his head as he grabs the door handle. At the same time, the door opens hitting him in the head and pinning him against the wall. “Nathaniel!”

  
Green eyes and blue hair peer out from behind the now open door. The kid gasps then kneels down to the redhead who has slumped to the ground. “Oh no! D-Did I hit him with the door?”

  
Alix kneels down beside the kid, “yup. Looks that way. This makes for one interesting meet-cute.”

  
The redhead is mumbling incoherently with an unfocused, glazed over look in his eyes. “Should we take him to the nurse?!”

  
“Hm? Oh. Yeah. Let’s do that.” Alix picks Nathaniel up, hauling him over her right shoulder. “The nurse is this way, right?”

  
The blue-haired kid gapes then shakes out of their stupor and follows behind Alix.

  
🐍

  
“ _Second Chance. Reset me to this moment if I am unresponsive in twenty minutes._ ”

  
🐍

  
“I could swear I was seeing things!” Alix puts her soda can down. “Do you know what happened in school today?”

  
Marinette’s eyes flit around the cafe, “what do you mean?”

  
“Chloé going nuts and magically turning people into knights! Remember? I mean, they were after you.” Marinette hums noncommittally, taking a sip of her soda. “Get this. Once like 90% of the school was transformed, _superheroes_ swooped in!” Kim exclaims.

  
Alix gapes. “Wait, superheroes?!”

  
Kim nods enthusiastically. “Before I could get changed, a person-sized _ladybug_ came out of nowhere and took the knights down. Once I was free, I hid and watched them swing away.”

  
🐍

  
“Mylène, grab the baton!” Alix yells. The girl with the rainbow dreadlocks stumbles to her feet and picks up Karma’s discarded baton.

  
🐍

  
Jalil pants, bracing himself with his hands on his knees. “ _Second Chance. Reset me to this moment if I am unresponsive in fifteen minutes_.”

🐍

  
“Why do you let Chloé boss you around and talk down to you?”

  
Mylène sighs, “it’s her way of showing me she cares.” Alix shakes her head, “see, m-my maman... she was Mme. Bourgeois’ adviser and partner. She helped build _Audrey_ and she was always credited and given the spotlight along side Mme. Bourgeois. When she got sick thousands of fans poured in their well-wishes. Mme. Bourgeois swore on my maman’s death bed that she’d ‘keep an eye on me.’ My papa is an actor so he travels all the time. Both my parents did. I live with my grandparents who also helped Mme. Bourgeois and my maman, but behind the scenes. Because they financially backed both the Bourgeois Hotel and Mme. Bourgeois’ fashion empire we... well we have money.”

  
“If your grandparents backed the Bourgeois’, your family must be ‘old money’ rich.” Mylène nods.

  
🐍

  
“Sabrina! Are you serious?” The orange-haired teen flinches. “You know how I feel about Kubdel!”

  
“She helped me learn how to skate better!”

  
“I don’t care if she gave you a kidney! You _'texting her'_ disgusts me. She’s the worst person in the world! Don’t you remember that tiny orangutan messing up my beautiful face!? Do you know how many bottles of concealer I used to hide my black eye! I had to talk my maman out of scheduling me for nose replacement surgery!”

  
“Look Chloé, Alix is my teammate. Me hating her just because you hate her will ruin our team’s chemistry.”

  
“What kind of best friend are you!? If you hated someone, I’d hate them alongside you on principle alone! And you didn’t give two shits about Kubdel before your ‘roller derby’ team pushed you two together.”

  
“Yeah, well now I do care about her!” Sabrina pauses then rubs the back of her neck.

  
Chloé’s eyes narrow then widen, “you... oh my God! I think I’m gonna be sick. You have a crush on her!”

  
Sabrina blushes, “ _what_?!”

  
“Oh no! This is terrifying!” The blonde cries.

  
🐍

  
“The fragmented loops will only end if you or the Avatar of Time dies.” Sass speaks.

  
🐍

  
“ _Bring me Alix, I swear it’ll be quick_.”

  
🐍

  
“S-Sabrina...”

  
The orange-haired teen groans as Alix helps sit her up, “shoulder bash, just like you taught me.”

  
“You could’ve been killed!”

  
“We’re trying to prevent you from being killed.”

  
🐍

  
“We are going to need assistance in protecting Alix Kubdel.”

  
Karma nods, “agreed. What are you thinking?”

  
“I’m thinking... we temporarily hand out a few Miraculouses. Preferably to Alix’s closest friend as these individuals will already in harm’s way.”

  
“Might as well power ‘em up and allow them to defend themselves.”

  
Lady Luck nods, “exactly. I’ve obtained a list of individuals from Vinh Lê Chiên. According to her, the closest, most trusted friends of Alix are Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Vinh’s younger brother Kim Lê Chiên, Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Juleka Couffaine, Alya Césaire, Max Kanté, and Marc Anciel.” Karma nods slowly, “you attend François Düpont, right? Do you know any of these students?”

  
“We saved a couple of them, didn’t we?”

  
“I—” Lady Luck pauses, narrowing her eyes at her partner. “I see. Regarding the Miraculouses I’ll be distributing... the fox is a given. We’re going to need a massive amount of illusions. The monkey is the kwami of distractions—”

  
“I... I don’t think that’s officially its power?” Lady Luck gives a one-shoulder shrug.

  
🐍

  
“Am I seriously floating in nothingness?” Alix sighs heavily, “of course I am.”

  
🐍

  
“It’s Proteus all over again. Right in the thick of it and I can’t record.” Alya sighs. “Oh well. At least I get to be a superhero for a day. Bring the storm, Longg!”

  
🐍

  
“Karma, javelin!” Lady Luck yells.

  
The green-haired hero groans readying her baton.

  
🐍

  
“ _If the roles were reversed, would you kill me to help me_?”

  
🐍

  
“Remember, you’re the only Avatar that can use their powers without transforming.” Fluff’s voice echoes.

  
🐍

  
Jalil tsks, “ _come on now, even someone as dumb as you has to realize when you’ve lost_.”

  
🐍

  
" _I'll see you in hell, baby sister. I'll even save a seat for you_."

  
🐍  
  
  
“If Jalil keeps catching me transform I’ll have to transform somewhere he can’t follow.” Fluff nods. “So... how do I do that?”

  
🐍

  
“ _C’mon Alix, one on one. I’ll put you out of your misery_.”

  
“The only misery in my life is you.”

  
🐍

  
Lady Luck grabs four Miraculouses off their hooks then puts the daruma doll back in her yo-yo. “Here.” She gives Karma two necklaces. One is gold with a white fox tail pendant and the other is silver with a silver heart-shaped pendant on it. “Find Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Nathaniel Kurtzberg, respectively, and give them these Miraculouses. I’ll...” Lady Luck holds the dark green bracelet with black charm pendants on it and the black choker. “I’ll get Alya Césaire and Kim Lê Chiên.”

  
🐍

  
“ _You’d all willingly die for_ Alix _? Preposterous_!”

  
🐍

  
“ _Oh Nathaniel~_ ” Jalil sing-songs, “ _you’re not still afraid of_ snakes _, are you_?”

  
🐍

  
Lady Luck unlatches her yo-yo from her hip. “Karma’s down, whatever you’re gonna do. Do it now.”

  
Eyes white, Alix puts her arms in front of her then brings them apart like she’s opening something. A portal begins to form in the space between her hands open. When the space is big enough Alix takes a step inside it; the portal closes behind her. “Clockwise, Fluff.” The transformation washes over her like a light rain. Taking another step she sees her reflection in one of the time windows. Her midsection, shoulder, tail, inside of her ears, knee-high boots, collar, umbrella handle, bottom half of her domino mask, and fingertips of her gloves are all baby blue while the rest of her outfit is white. It looks similar... enough to the Future Bunnyx that continuously shows up minus the large cotton ball hanging from the black collar, the black outline throughout the suit separating the blue from white – instead, her outfit seamlessly blends the two colors together. Her hair is most shaved off in a swooped up white mohawk with blue streaks. The pocketwatch is securely slotted on her hip through a makeshift chain belt.

  
Unsheathing her umbrella from its clip on her back she opens it creating a portal then steps out of the portal behind Karma.

  
Jalil’s one-track mind about getting her Miraculouses eluded him to the fact that he had a Miraculous right here ripe for the picking. Bunnyx sits the unconscious Karma up then draws a circle in front of her. With her right pointer finger, she drags her finger to the left and Karma’s injuries begin to fade. She’s been experimenting with reversing and forwarding time, but only several seconds at a time. Regaining consciousness, Karma gasps then looks around wide-eyed. “W-Wha—Al— _Bunnyx_?!” With a smile, Alix nods. “H-How?”

  
“Good question.” The circle fades in a puff of white clouds.

  
“ _You’re not the only one who got an upgrade_!” Jalil hisses. His snake features become more pronounced and his body turns into a snake's.

  
“Ewww.” Bunnyx and Karma utter getting to their feet.

  
🐍

  
Lady Luck drops down in front of Alix and Karma. “I have an idea... but you aren’t going to like it.” She holds out her yo-yo then opens the top half of it. There’s a flash of pink and she pulls out a gold necklace with a fox tail pendant. “Here.” She drops it into Alix’s hand, “you’re going to need this.”

  
“Why?”

  
“Because it’s something your brother will not expect.” A brilliant flash of orange appears that has Alix shielding her eyes. The glowing ball forms into a fox-like kwami. “This is Trixx, kwami of illusion.” The kwami salutes.

  
“Yo. Good to meet you, Kit. Put the necklace on then say _Trixx, ready to pounce_. I can create as many illusions as your imagination will allow! _However_ , only two illusions can be present at a time.”

  
“That... That doesn’t make any sense.” Karma argues.

  
“On the contrary. Let’s say you have one illusion that, oh I don’t know, your entire class. That is one illusion. Then you want to ...add a background or something. That’s another illusion. If you try to create a third, the first will fade. Get it? Only two illusions at a time.”

  
Alix glances at Lady Luck then Karma, then Trixx and shrugs. “I... _guess_ I get it?” Lady Luck and Karma exchange a (worried) glance over Alix’s head.

  
“Good enough.” Trixx says putting the necklace around Alix’s neck. “One more thing: obviously, large illusions won’t be able to move in the same manner as a smaller one that’s, like, just a person or something.”

  
“Trixx, ready to pounce!” Trixx winks at her before disappearing into the necklace. Lady Luck and Karma squint through the brightness.

  
Alix’s hair turns a dark orange and her side ponytail centres itself then grows styling itself almost like a fox’s tail; the end of her hair is white. Her suit is orange with a white flame-shaped center. Her boots are black. There’s a white and orange _flute_ hanging from her left side. Her tail, like her ponytail, is orange with a white tip. Her pointer, middle, and pink finger of her gloves are white while the rest is orange. There are white streaks throughout her limbs.

  
“I dig this.” Huh. This is the second Miraculous she’s used. Meanwhile, _her_ Miraculous is dangling uselessly in her hand. “What’s the plan?”


	3. reset, slaughter, repeat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is not a very happy birthday for Jalil Kubdel

“Reset, slaughter, repeat.” Alix hears her voice calling out. The pink-haired teen opens her eyes and finds herself falling upside down. She – she notices her arm is orange and white – grabs a street lamp and rights herself; gracefully landing on her feet. (A quick glance has her realizing she is using the fox Miraculous. Did time fix itself? What the hell is happening? How did she get here?)

  
Jalil – with a full-on snake body – lunges toward her but Karma knocks him away with her baton. “You can’t hide Alix from me!” He hisses. What was the plan? What reset is this? She’s getting flashes of images but nothing concrete. The only thing she remembers is Lady Luck suggesting Alix wield the fox Miraculous to make illusions of herself being carried away by any of the three of them or the girls of blackberry clobber to throw Jalil off. Judging by what Jalil just said, this bit appears to be working.

  
~~The team’s entraîneur, Camilla Hombee, was eerily invested in this whole ordeal.~~

  
“ _Lucky Charm_!” Alix – she needs to think of an appropriate fox name – sees the pink flash out the corner of her eye. Lady Luck holds up a single dangling jewel earring. Alix sneaks a glance to see LadyLuck.exe has stopped functioning as she stares at the earring with a blank expression.

  
Snake-Jalil hisses then slithers toward Lady Luck. “Double L!” Karma screams.  
  


Lady Luck’s head snaps up and she narrowly dodges Jalil’s fangs trying to bite her leg. She gasps, “Alix, what are you doing!?” When Jalil turns around Lady Luck jumps away. He turns back toward where Lady Luck was and hisses.  
  


Lady Luck looks at the earring in her hand again. Earrings. No, just one earring. Why just one? When she looks around, she notes nothing is lit up with her “Miracle Vision” aside from the earring. Why an earring? None of the other Miraculouses in her possession are earrings. Is the Lucky Charm telling her to look within or some bull? She squints at the scale pattern design on the earring. A snake? No. A reptile. _No_. She knows exactly what this means. The earring disappears in a ball of pink smog and her yo-yo returns.  
  


Jalil lost interest in her and went back to chasing around the blackberry clobber girls after they threw things at him. Lady Luck joins Karma and... and...  
  
  
“What are you calling yourself?” Lady Luck asks.  
  


The fox rubs the flute against her hair, “um... Désorienté?” Lady Luck and Karma share a less than impressed glance before staring at her. “Hey, you try coming up with a name that suits your power on the fly!”  
  


“I actually did.” Lady Luck swings in Jalil’s direction.

  
“I, uh, had like a day to come up with mine? Don’t think too hard about it. The right name will come to you.” Karma pole vaults herself after Lady Luck. With her flute being much smaller and unable to extend, Alix just runs after the duo.

  
When they meet up, Lady Luck informs them she needs to bring in additional help. Alix keeps up an illusion of Lady Luck while the real one slips away.

  
🐍

  
Alya screams, flailing backwards as Lady Luck drops down on the balcony of her bedroom. Lady Luck grabs her hand preventing her from falling. After getting in contact with Lady Luck for Alix’s family issue, Alya went home. Speaking of home, thank goodness her family isn’t home! The last thing she was expecting was Lady luck to... know where she lived. “Thanks. Um, how did you know this was my house?”

  
“Hm? I didn’t. As I swung by, I saw you opening your window.”

  
“Oh.”

  
“But I was looking for you anyway.” Lady Luck takes a red and black polkadotted diamond shaped box out of her yo-yo, “Mlle. Blogger—” Lady Luck shakes her head, “no, let me start over. Mlle. Alya Césaire, this is the Miraculous of the dragon. Its power is weather control. I need you to wield it to help me, Alix, and Karma deal with Jalil Kubdel.”

  
“Y-You want _me_ to... and not just to record?” Lady Luck nods. Alya stares at the hero then down at the box. Taking a deep breath, she opens the box. A bright red light bursts from the box and Alya drops the box but instinctively catches it before it hits the ground. Inside the box, there is a gold choker with a gold fang-shaped pendant on it.

  
“Greetings, Young One.”

  
Alya’s head snaps up and her eyes widen at the creatures floating in front of her. “W-Wha—?”

  
The dragon-looking-thing tilts its head to the right, “I am Longg, kwami of weather manipulation.”

  
“Y-You’re a queue-what?”

  
“Coo-wah-me. I am responsible for lending my power to the one who wields my Miraculous.” They gesture to the choker in the box.

  
“You really do have magic jewelry! And tiny magic creatures to boot!” Alya gasps then shakes her head, “no, this isn’t the time. I can freak out later. Is there like a phrase or a dance that’ll make me transform?”

  
“A phrase, yes. As you put on the choker, simply say _Longg, bring the storm_ to transform and _Longg, calm the skies_ to cancel the transformation.”

  
Alya nods taking the choker out of the box and putting it on, “I’m ready. _Wait_! Why me?”

  
“Why not?”

  
“Guess I can’t argue with that. But seriously...?”

  
“The former Guardian of the Miraculouses told me, when distributing a Miraculous, to pick an ally I could trust. I trust you.”

  
Alya squeals. “y-you trust me?” Lady Luck nods. “But I—I mean... how? _Why_?”

  
“We’re on a bit of a time crunch so I won’t go into extensive details but you knew – just by gait alone – that that sculptor wasn’t the real me. Just from the way they carried themselves. Hadn’t uttered a word and you already knew they were a fake. Not to mention, you’ve helped with most of the akuma attacks that happened around the city without using a Miraculous. And you’re the go-to, only reliable source of news in the city. To quote Karma, you’re a real badass.” Alya’s jaw drops. “I... a month ago I told the former Guardian I didn’t trust anyone. Then Karma gained my trust... as did you. So... I should be thanking you. To help me see there are people worth trusting.”

  
“I-I—Oh... _oh_... this isn’t the time but I can’t help it! We need to hug!” Chuckling, Lady Luck hops off the railing and Alya briefly embraces her. “I promise I won’t ever do anything to betray that trust.” They separate and Alya takes a deep breath. “This is... this is so bittersweet. I-I can’t _tell_ anyone I’ve earned your trust. Because they’ll be asking for proof and I can’t... give it. I’ll be right in the thick of it but unable to record. It’s— _Wait_ , what the hell is wrong with me? What am I complaining about? I’m gonna be a freaking superhero working alongside you! Bring the storm, Longg!” Longg flies into the choker and Alya gasps. Right before her very eyes, her arms are enveloped in an ethereal, red glow. Scales materialize on her arms. She gets black elbow-length gloves with red and gold alternating fingertips. A scaly red catsuit with a long, curled black tail in the center magically forms over her body. There’s a circle with three unfamiliar symbols on the chest of the suit. She grows a long, scaly red tail with black and gold alternating spikes along the tail. Her hair turns black at the top and red at the bottom – the style remains unchanged, unless you count the four horns on her head – two on each side. Her domino mask is black and her eyes are gold with red slit pupils. Her ankle-high boots are gold and have little horns on the feet. Lastly, she has tiny red wings on her back, two whiskers coming out of both her cheeks, and there’s a _sword_ sheathed behind her back between her wings.

  
Alya spins around, tail knocking into the plant on the balcony sending it flying. She opens her mouth wide, tongue feeling against her fangs. Her tongue is like a lizard tongue! She alternates between sticking her elongated tongue out and feeling her fangs with her tongue.

  
“I understand this is a new feeling you need to get used to, but we need to get going.” ~~If Alya didn’t know any better she’d think Lady Luck was trying to hide her amusement.~~

  
Alya nods, “right, of course. Before I give this back to you, because I assume this isn’t a permanent thing?” Lady Luck nods, “okay, before I give this back I am obligated—no, I’m entitled to one extended freakout with no interruptions.”

  
“That seems more than fair.” Alya pumps her fist in the air. “Do you have a name you’d like to go by?”

  
“Dragonstrike.”

  
🐍

  
“ _You must pick an ally you can trust to temporarily wield the power of a Miraculous, Lady Luck_.” Cosmic Colt says.

  
🐍

  
“Scales slither, Sass.”

  
“ _ **No**_!” Jalil screams.

  
Sass happily floats into the ouroboros bangle on Alix’s right wrist. A teal scaly catsuit forms over Alix’s body. The domino mask that materializes over her eyes looks like a snake’s open mouth and has fangs on the top and bottom pointing inward. She has a long pointy tail and the limbs and back of her suit are a shade darker than the inner part of her suit; though her boots are a shade lighter – the same shade as the inside of her suit. Her gloves are fingerless. There’s a harp or some harp like instrument in her hands.

  
🐍

  
“Don’t focus on every other universe or reset.” “Original” Future Alix states, “focus on yours. Trust your instincts.”

  
🐍

  
Alix gasps lunging out of bed, “that’s it!” Marinette falls out of her bed.

  
🐍

  
“ _Focus_ , Mini-Me!”

  
🐍

  
“Mirage!” Alix blows on her flute creating multiple illusions of herself running in multiple directions. When she lowers the flute, she holds her left hand out in front of her. At first glance, it doesn’t appear that anything is happening but if you look close there’s a white crack about Alix’s height getting bigger and bigger vertically. “There really has to be a better, _easier_ way to make this damn time prism.” She grumbles spreading the crack enough for her to hop inside. Inside the time prism, she opens four time windows and pulls out four different versions of herself each fused with a different Miraculous.

  
The Alixs look around the time prism and break out into four identical grins. “About time.” Says the ladybug Alix. “Call me Scarletbug.” Scarletbug is wearing a red and black polkadotted catsuit and matching mask; her ankle-high boots and fingerless gloves are all black with red seams. Her hair is also black and much longer than usual; growing her usual side ponytail – with a red ribbon holding it in place – over her left shoulder. Her eyes, irises, sclera, all of it is blue and it doesn’t look like she has pupils. The yo-yo, identical to Lady Luck’s, is latched onto the front of her black belt.

  
“I know it’s far from original but I’m Catastrophe.” Says the black cat Alix. Catastrophe’s outfit is black with a green herringbone pattern that’s on her mask as well. The soles of her boots are green as are the arm warmers from her knuckles to her wrist. Unlike Karma’s tail, hers is straight with a green tip. Like her tail, her ears are black with green tips with dark grey insides. Her hair is black in a pixie cut with green streaks throughout. Her ring, like Karma’s, has five green paw beads on it. Unlike Karma, however, Catastrophe’s eyes are blue-green.

  
The snake Alix gives a little wave, “Siren Song.” She plucks a string on her instrument. Siren Song’s outfit is a teal scale patterned catsuit. The domino mask that materializes over her eyes looks like a snake’s open mouth and has fangs on the top and bottom pointing inward. She has a long pointy tail and the limbs and back of her suit are a shade darker than the inner part of her suit; though her boots are a shade lighter – the same shade as the inside of her suit. Her gloves are fingerless and her teal nails are elongated. (Although Alix has to wonder _why_ , given her instrument slash weapon of choice.) Her hair is the lighter shade of teal identical to the inside of her suit and her boots. Siren Song’s eyes are bright yellow and her slit pupils are teal.

  
The rabbit Alix folds her arms over her chest. “And, well, you guys know I’m Bunnyx. More to the point what are we calling _you_?” Bunnyx’s outfit has her midsection, shoulder, tail, inside of her ears, knee-high boots, collar, umbrella handle, bottom half of her domino mask, and fingertips of her gloves are all baby blue while the rest of her outfit is white. A piece of the top of her left ear is missing. Her hair is most shaved off in a swooped up white mohawk with blue streaks. The creases of her umbrella are also baby blue. The now baby blue pocketwatch is securely slotted on her hip through a makeshift chain belt.

  
Fox Alix frowns. Her hair is dark orange, straightened, and her side ponytail centres itself in the back then grows styling itself bushy almost like a fox’s tail; the end of her hair is white. Her suit is orange with a white flame-shaped center. Her boots are white. There’s a white and orange _flute_ hanging from her left side. Her tail, like her ponytail, is orange with a white tip. Her pointer, middle, and pink finger of her gloves are white while the rest is orange. There are white streaks throughout her limbs. Fox Alix’ left eye is purple, while her right eye is blue.

  
“I got it!” Ladybug Alix yells, “let’s all say our ideas at once and pick the best. Ready?” The other Alixs nod.

  
“Foxy Beats.”

  
“Lady Mystery.”

  
“Agate.”

  
“Remix.”

  
“Muse.”

  
They pause then stare at one another. “Remix.” They unanimously agree. “Now let’s go kick Jalil’s ass.”

  
Bunnyx slashes a door open with her umbrella and the five Alix’s jump out. Remix sees that Lady Luck returns with... is that a dragon?! The dragon (it really is a dragon!) has a sword they’re tapping against their left shoulder.

  
Damn. If Alix knew there was a dragon Miraculous, she would’ve found the her that was using it!

  
“What the fucking hell?” Lady Luck questions. ~~And honestly, that feels more like something Karma would blurt out.~~

  
“You can trust us, Double L. We’re Bunnyx from neighboring universes.”

  
“I figured as much...” She jerks a thumb over her shoulder, “this is Dragonstrike.” The dragon gives a wave.

  
The ladybug Alix points at her costumed counterparts as she speaks. “I’m Scarletbug, that’s Catastrophe, and you – of course – know Bunnyx. Over there is Siren Song, and lastly... Remix.”

  
“Here’s the plan.” The seven of them huddle. “Snakes... sorry Siren Song, but snakes don’t do well with cold weather. Dragonstrike will create the necessary weather condition to slow Jalil down.” Lady Luck pauses then looks around, “where is Karma?”

  
“With the illusions keeping Jalil on his toes. Or... his... belly, I guess? I don’t know snake anatomy.” Remix says with a shrug.

  
“Then let’s not dawdle.” Everyone nods, breaking the huddle.

  
🐍

  
Jalil grabs Karma with his tail as she pushes Aurore out of the way. “What’s new, Pussycat? You get one chance to tell me where you’re hiding my sister.”

  
Karma laughs, even as Jalil squeezes her tighter, “even if I knew where she ran off to you’d be the last ...thing I’d spill the beans to.”

  
Jalil’s right eye twitches. “Let’s see how smug you are when I crush your body in half!” Jalil’s eyes widen comically and he quickly lets go of Karma, dropping her, slithering away before a red sword can cut off his tail. If he were only a second slower, he’d be tail-less. “ _What the fucking hell_?” He hisses.

  
The dragon – it’s a dragon!? – gets to their feet beckoning him with two fingers. “Come on, Fangs, reptile to reptile.”

  
“I am Monsieur Viper!”

  
The dragon tilts their head to the left, “séviper?”

  
Jalil opens his mouth then groans loudly. Lady Luck wraps her yo-yo cord around him. Jalil hisses trying to break free but then a snake drops down to the left of Lady Luck and slaps him in the face with their tail.

  
The snake Miraculous on someone else? Impossible! It has to be a fake! An... _illusion_. (Although it felt real enough.) Jalil’s eyes widen in realization. Illusions. All this fucking time he’s been chasing _illusions_! None of those Alixs were real! How could he be so foolish? He growls breaking free of the yo-yo cord. As Lady Luck is trying to gather her bearings, Jalil charges toward her but then the dragon flies in front of the ladybug holding their sword out in front of them ready to strike.

  
Jalil pivots, charging toward the... other ladybug? A duplicate? Another illusion? No. It’s Alix. **Alix** did this! **Alix** is the one making all the illusions! It has to be! But which of these _is_ Alix? Or rather, which is the real Alix?

  
He quickly tries looking around as he charges but he doesn’t see any clues as to which is Alix. To speed himself up, Jalil restores his arms. (Wait. Can’t snakes regrow their tails or something? He should’ve done research.)

  
He grabs the yo-yo the shorter ladybug throws in his direction. Of course, Alix would make all the illusions herself. How fucking conceited. He just has to look for the shortest heroes. “I’ve got you now, _Alix_.” He pulls on the string, dragging ladybug Alix toward him. A second, shorter black cat – possibly another Alix illusion – grabs hold of the string shifting the momentum back toward the ladybug and herself.

  
“Time to put this motherfucker out of his misery.” Out the corner of his eye, Jalil sees the dragon starting to crystallize...? Wait, no. They’re freezing. But if Alix is the additional ladybug, snake, and black cat... who the fuck is this dragon? They’re too tall to be Alix.

  
Shit. Lady Luck and Karma probably got one of Alix’s loser friends to temporarily wield a Miraculous. He’s not gonna bother wasting time figuring out which one.

  
🐍

  
Alix puts the silver necklace around her neck and clasps it closed. “I’m gonna need more firepower. Let’s get squeaky, Toppo.”

  
🐍

  
“Y-You knew?”

  
“I had an inkling.”

  
“ _That’s_ why you told me about Bunnyx?”

  
“Well, no. I... I figured it out _as_ I suggested it.” Alix nods with a hum, “if your brother is somehow predicting or seeing you transform into Bunnyx, you’re gonna have to transform into something else.”

  
“‘Something else’ like what?’”

  
Lady Luck pulls two necklaces out of her yo-yo one is a gold necklace with a white hook pendant and the other is a charcoal necklace with a crystal heart-shaped pendant. “These are the Miraculous of illusions and duplication, respectively. If my hunch is correct, every Miraculous exudes its own magical aura or signature when activated. If your brother has found a way to link himself to the rabbit Miraculous’s signature, he won’t sense you using a different Miraculous.”

  
“I suppose it’s worth a shot.” As they were talking an orange and grey ball of light, respectively, shot from their respective pendants and formed into the kwamis. A fox – _oh_ , that ‘hook’ isn’t a hook at all but a curled fox’s tail, and a mouse – the ‘heart-shaped’ pendant is two mouse ears together. Both of the necklaces changed color to a green gold.

  
“Greetings, Kit!” They simultaneously exclaim.

  
“I am Toppo—” The mouse begins, “kwami of duplication.”

  
“I’m Trixx.” Says the fox, “kwami of simulacrum.”

  
“I’m sorry simon-what?”

  
“Simulacrum. Deception. Illusions. Trickery. Shit like that.” Alix nods slowly, still confused. “I figured you’d remember, you’re the one that told me to use that during my intro.”

  
Toppo, floating next to Trixx, puts a hand on their head. “Trixx, this isn’t the Bunnyx that told you that. At least... I don’t think she is?”

  
Fluff flies out of Alix’s hat, “even kwamis get the resets mixed up some times. This _is_ the Bunnyx you are referring to. She just hasn’t met you two yet. Speaking of meeting...” Fluff flies over to Lady Luck. “It’s an honor to meet you in the fur, Lady Luck. I’m Fluff, kwami of juncture.” Lady Luck gently grasps Fluff’s paw in her hand.

  
“An honor meeting you as well.”

  
Alix puts both necklaces on and clasps them closed. “Okay Bunnyx, in case you forgot. It’s ready to pounce for me and let’s get squeaky for Toppo.”

  
“To break transformation is full stop for the fox over there and whisper for me.”

  
“Remember Bunnyx...” Both kwamis say, “reset, slaughter, repeat.”

  
Alix and Lady Luck stare at each other then look at the kwamis grinning at them, “...right.”

  
Alix clears her throat, “get—”

  
“Wait!” Fluff flies in front of Alix’s face, “to fuse powers you call out both... or all the transformation phrases then bring your hands together and say unify. Okay? That’s super important.” Toppo and Trixx each rub a hand behind their heads.

  
“Sorry about that. Forgot you didn’t know.” Trixx says with a sheepish grin.

  
“Okay. Let’s get squeaky, Toppo. Trixx, ready to pounce—” Alix brings her heads together, “— **unify**.”

  
🐍

  
Mouse Alix has a large grey pair of ears that are pink inside. The top half of her catsuit is grey while the bottom is black; there is a very subtle gingham pattern throughout. She has a pink jumprope wrapped around her waist. Her gloves are black and her ankle-high boots are grey. The beginning of her tail is grey and the end is black. The left half of her domino mask is black while the right is grey; also with the subtle gingham pattern. Her eyes are both pink.

  
🐍

  
“Why are the Miraculouses worn on the _outside_ of the suits?” Karma asks, looking at her ring.

  
🐍

  
“Alix is Bunnyx. Cool... cool...” Dragonstrike hums.

  
“Are you alright?” Karma asks.

  
“Just internally freaking out a bit. Alix was one of the first students to befriend me when I enrolled in François Düpont. I can legitimately see why a whole roller derby team would be willing to throw down for her. But giving her superpowers just makes her all the more terrifying.”

  
Lady Luck smiles, “which is why she’d make an excellent, necessary addition to the team.”

  
🐍

  
“Don’t get cold... no, no. Snakes don’t got feet. Wait. No... uh. No! I got it. Don’t freeze up now, M. Viper!” Dragonstrike drops down on Jalil’s tail and he screeches.

  
🐍

  
“You know _why_ Alix is so short? She needed to have a weakness. If she were any bigger she’d be unstoppable!” Kim exclaims then howls in pain as Alix kicks him in the shin.

  
🐍

  
“Sixième! Sixième!” Alix and Kim chant.

  
“Having the collège a block away from the boulangerie pâtissèrie is like a dream come true.” Sabine tells Tom. “If anything happens, we’ll be close by.”

  
“I can’t believe they’re already in sixième! Where has the time gone!?” Tom sobs putting his arm over his eyes.

  
Marinette squeezes Tom’s left hand, “don’t cry bàba, everything will be alright.” Still sobbing, Tom nods.

  
🐍

  
“Welcome students, to François Düpont! This is Damocles, your principal.”

  
Alix skates into the building, screaming when an orange-haired girl comes out of nowhere right in front of her. The girl gasps then ducks as Alix jumps over her then slams herself into the wall. “Oh my gosh!” The girl runs over to her, “are you okay? That was the coolest thing I ever squinted to see!”

  
“I’m good. You came out of nowhere though.”  
  


“Sorry. I forgot something and was rushing to get it. I’m Sabrina.”

  
“Alix.”

  
“Do you think you can teach me how to skate like that?”

  
“Su—”

  
“ _Sabrina_!” Alix cringes turning toward the source of the yelling. There’s a blonde in a bright red sweater dress with her arms folded over her chest glowering in their direction, “what are you doing?”

  
“I’m helping—”

  
“There’s no time for this!’ The blonde grabs the orange-haired girl by the hand, yanking her forward and away from the pink-haired girl. “We have to get the best seats before the commoners snatch them up! I don’t even know what I’m being punished for! Forcing me to attend _public_ school. Ridiculous! It’s utterly ridiculous!” Sabrina sadly watches a blue-haired girl and a brunet rush over to the pink-haired girl.

  
🐍

  
“Alix is very friendly.” Max adjusts his glasses. “On the surface, she seems like an angry gremlin with a serious Napoleon complex but that isn’t it at all.”

  
🐍

  
“Jalil _knows_ when you’re gonna transform?” Alix nods. Marinette bites her lip, “he...” Her eyes widen. “I just thought of an idea to counter that... but you’re not gonna like it.”

  
“I’d hate losing to Jalil even more. Hit me.”

  
“If Jalil knows you’re gonna transform, the last thing he’ll expect is for you to transform.”

  
“You lost me.”

  
“Hear me out. Lady Luck’s kwami rewired the Miraculouses so they no longer have a timer linked to our exhaustion. Jalil stole the Miraculous prior to that so if we tire Jalil out, he’ll break the transformation himself!”

  
Alix laughs, “classic.”

  
“Now since keep trying to transform into Bunnyx will be what Jalil is expecting, you can’t transform with the rabbit Miraculous. Fortunately, there are hundreds of Miraculouses to select from and I know someone in possession of a few.” Alix furrows her eyebrows in confusion.

  
“She means Lady Luck, Baby Bunny.” Plagg says.

  
“ _Oh_! Right. You told me last month Lady Luck’s kwami changed ownership of the Miracle Box to her. With the rewiring. I’m down with this plan so far, why wouldn’t I like it?”

  
Marinette sucks in a breath. “You can’t use the rabbit Miraculous, so it makes no sense in... holding it. I’d suggest temporarily giving Fluff and the pocketwatch to Lady Luck.”

  
“Makes sense. What else?”

  
“Depending on which Miraculous you’re given... you might have to play bait.”

  
Alix sighs, “naturally. Alright. Can you contact Lady Luck for me?”

  
“That’s another thing. I can’t. Since _Marinette_ knows about your problem _but not Karma_ , _you’re_ gonna have to find a way to contact Lady Luck.”

  
“Marinette, I am liking your plan less and less.”

  
“Then you’re really not gonna like my suggestion for contacting Lady Luck.”

  
“I’m assuming it’s not screaming from the Eiffel Tower or purposely getting possessed?”

  
“Close. My suggestion is talk to Alya. She has the whole luckyblog and Lady Luck genuinely considers her _the_ go-to for information.”

  
“Wouldn’t that be putting Alya in danger?”

  
“How many akuma attacks has that girl jumped headfirst into?”

  
“Good point. She has an on-again, off-again relationship with danger. Alright, I’ll go to Alya. Max might be able to help out too since he oversees the luckyblog. Since Karma isn’t needed, I’d like Marinette beside me.”  
  


“I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

  
🐍

  
“This is... the scoop... of five lifetimes!” Alya pumps her fist in the air then pauses backtracking. “Oh shit! I’m so sorry Alix. Your life is not some great scoop... even if it is. That was completely insensitive of me to be happy about your brother trying to kill you. Even if this is the perfect opportunity to learn more about the Miraculouses and magic.” She shakes her head, “it’s... I’m—” The orange-haired teen mimes sealing her mouth shut and throwing the key away.

  
Markov beeps, “my suggestion if contacting Lady Luck and Karma privately, as posting it on the luckyblog will give your brother a chance to figure out what is happening.”

  
“We don’t exactly have Lady Luck or Karma on speed dial.” Alix says, “unless you do—?” She turns to Alya who shakes her head, “how do you suggest we go about that?”

  
“Downloading suggestions.” The four teens look at Markov, “steal a Miraculous.”

  
“ _No_!” The group yells.

  
“Cause an akuma attack.” Max takes his glasses off and massages the bridge of his nose. “Locate either Karma or Lady Luck in civilian form.”

  
“Markov, can you think of anything that won’t cause any additional problems?” Alix asks.

  
A pause. “Attempt to contact Lady Luck and Karma through their Miraculouses. Post an inquiry on the luckyblog.”

  
“You just said not to use the luckyblog!” Alya stares at the robot. “Do you need an upgrade? Or a bug check?”

  
“Catch Lady Luck or Karma mid-patrol.”

  
“Thank you, Markov.” Max pulls the robot down to his level. “Let’s check your latest systems update.”

  
“Has Lady Luck ever privately tried contacting you?” Alix asks and Alya shakes her head. “I’m guessing catching her during patrol would be the best option.”

  
“I _can_ try posting a vague ‘inquiry’ about magic to Lady Luck and hope she responds?”

  
Max unscrews the bolts on the back of Markov’s head, “you could create a private page for conversing with Lady Luck when this is over.”

  
“Good idea! But for now we can— _Lady Luck just swung by_!” The four of them run out of the apartment onto the balcony. Max’s apartment is on the top floor of his building, “Lady Luck!” They scream, waving their arms above them.

  
Thankfully, Lady Luck spots them and swings around landing on Max’s balcony. “Hello.”

  
They all greet her with a wave. “We need your help.” Alya begins, “Alix’s brother is trying to kill her.”

  
“What?”

  
“Maybe... we should start from the beginning? Okay, so I got a magical artifact heirloom for my birthday a few months back. To activate it, I had to die... repeatedly.” Alya gapes at her and Lady Luck tilts her head to the left, “long story short, I was stuck in a time loop where my papa and dickheaded older brother kept murdering me on my birthday which was September 12th  and now I’m living with Marinette and her family.”

  
“You’re gonna need to give me the full story at a later date.”

  
Alix sighs, “right. So... now my brother has a magical artifact that allows him to screw with time and he’s using it to try and steal my artifact.”

  
“Your family sound as despicable as Mite and Méfait.”

  
“No arguments here.”

  
“It sounds as though these artifacts are time-based. There—It isn’t publicly known but there is a time-related Miraculous. There are... two...” Lady Luck pauses and Alix can see the gears turning in her head, “these... artifacts, are they animal-like in any manner?”

  
“‘Animal-like?’”

  
“Animal-like?” Alya repeats, “like the Miraculouses?” She gasps, “those _are_ animal-like, aren’t they? I mean everyone who has one turns into an animal. Sorta like Tokyo Mew Mew. You think the artifacts could be Miraculouses?”

  
“Possibly, however there are other magical artifacts in the world and I am certain several are also animal based. Do you have the artifact with you, Alix? May I take a peek at it?”

  
“Sure.” Alix digs the pocketwatch out of her pocket and hands it to Lady Luck. It goes from silver to jade green with the transfer.

  
“That... pretty much confirms we’re dealing with Miraculouses. But which is this?” As she absentmindedly traces the outline etched on it, Lady Luck’s eyes widen, “ _oh_.” Everyone stares at her and she waves them off. “It’s nothing.”

  
“I’m assuming you are conjuring up a plan or something?” Max asks.

  
“Yes... and no. Currently, I have nothing. Logically, pitting the two time Miraculouses against one another would be the obvious option but we don’t want to go that route.” Lady Luck rubs the back of her neck, “but we will need more Miraculouses. What animal is your brother harboring?”

  
“A snake.”

  
“A snake...” Lady Luck repeats, slowly. “Well, shit.” She turns around and there’s a pink flash. “Fuck...” She turns back around. “Yup. The snake Miraculous is missing. I never noticed it was gone when...” She frowns, “I’ll have to contact Karma. I have a plan now. I’ll need one more person to make it work though.”

  
Alya’s eyes light up, “we get to help?”

  
“Yes. The four of you will be crucial parts.” Alya jumps up and down in excitement. “Decide among yourself which of you will use which Miraculous. The options are a fox, dragon, mouse, and turtle.”

  
“What about the...” Alix cuts herself off with a cough.

  
“What do they do?” Marinette questions.

  
“Don’t matter. I _need_ to be the dragon.” Alya whispers.

  
“Hmmm...” Max taps his chin, “I suppose I can give the turtle a shot.”

  
“I don’t think I’m qualified to wield a Miraculous, Lady Luck.”

  
“The only qualification you need is wanting to rip the scales off Alix’s brother.”

  
“Okay, I _do_ have that. Um... Alix which do you want?”

  
“I want the fox.”

  
“I guess I’m left with the mouse.”

  
Lady Luck turns around again and there’s another pink flash. When she turns back around she’s holding two necklaces, a choker, and a bracelet. First, she gives the silver necklace with a coin pendant to Marinette. It turns into a rose gold necklace with a winged pendant. Next, she gives the white necklace with the black fox tail pendant to Alix. It turns to a silver necklace with with a black hook pendant. Then, she gives the black bracelet with the white charms to Max. It turns to a pink bracelet with square yellow charms. Lastly, she gives the navy choker to Alya. It turns to a copper choker with a rusted looking claw pendant.

  
“Your kwamis will tell you the respective phrases you need to say. Once this mission is complete, I will need these Miraculouses back.”

  
“Can we freak out uninterrupted before returning them?”

  
“If it is your prerogative, I will not interfere.” Alya swoons. “I’ll leave you to transforming. Meet me at the Louvre in fifteen minutes. I need the last part of the plan. And for that, Alix, I will need to borrow your Miraculous.”

  
Alix blinks, “sure.”

  
🐍

  
“Kim, I need a favor...” Alix whispers into her phone.

  
🐍

  
“Nathaniel Kurtzberg.” The aforementioned redhead drops all the art supplies in his hands and gapes at Lady Luck perched on the art supply store’s awning. The hero drops down and scoops up everything with her yo-yo’s net. She deposits the items neatly into the redhead’s arms. “I require your assistance once again. Are you aware of what is happening to Alix Kubdel?”

  
“Something’s wrong with Alix?”

  
Lady Luck looks around then grabs Nathaniel by the waist, “I apologize for the abruptness but we shouldn’t be discussing this in public. Hold on.” Lady Luck swings her yo-yo then swings them on the toy store next door’s roof.

  
Nathaniel is certain his face is as red as his hair when Lady Luck lets him go. “Alix is being hunted by her brother. I am temporarily handing out Miraculouses to stop him.”

  
“Y-Y-You’re gonna give _me_ a Miraculous? I’m no hero.”

  
“Do you desire keeping Alix safe?”

  
“Of course I do!”

  
“Then there you go. You’re a hero.” There’s a pink flash and Lady Luck holds a very familiar, although incredibly different colored pocketwatch in her hands, “Nathaniel Kurtzberg, this is the Miraculous of the rabbit. It allows you control over time.” Nathaniel gapes at the pocketwatch. _Alix has a Miraculous_!? “You’re going to need to use your ingenuity to assist me once more.”

  
Nathaniel nods, “y-you got it, Lady Luck. Thank you for giving me this opportunity. But... why isn’t Alix using her own pocketwatch?”

  
“Because Alix is using a different Miraculous. I’m hoping I’m right about this.” The pocketwatch turns copper in Nathaniel’s hands and a white flash ejects itself from the pocketwatch shaping itself into a rabbit... thing.

  
Nathaniel’s jaw drops. “Oh. Hey there. I’m Fluff. To transform say Fluff, clockwise and it’s counterclockwise to reverse the transformation. Okay?” The redhead wordlessly nods.

  
Nathaniel grips the pocketwatch tight, “clockwise, Fluff.”

  
🐍

  
Alix enters the art room then something bumps into her. She turns around and sees a stack of books. “Wha—?”

  
“Sorry.” Marc says.  
  


Alix takes half the stack so Marc’s face is now visible. “No harm done. What’s with all the books?”

  
“Research. I’ve been in a bit of a writing slump lately. I figured getting a book from every literary genre might help.”

  
“Hey, whatever works.” The two of them put all the books on a desk. Alix turns to Marc with a smile. “You know what else might help a bit? Taking your mind off writing altogether. Let’s go have some mindless fun!” Marc tilts his head to the left.

  
🐍

  
Six Alixs all powered up. This is Jalil’s worst nightmare.

  
There is _no way_ Alix could’ve mastered her powers in only three-hundred-and-four resets.

  
There’s just no way.

  
Not with Alix’s level of intelligence... or lack thereof.

  
And there is no way in hell she could’ve mastered more than just one Miraculous.

  
He can just hear Sass mocking him. Saying this is why Alix is the Avatar of Time and not him.

  
The damn dragon froze his entire body with a single touch.

  
“Jalil~” Alix sing-songs, “you killed me a bunch of times. I think it’s only right I make us square.”

  
“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug Alix yells. He can only think the worst when a harpoon drops in her hands. “Thar she blows!” Ladybug Alix fires the harpoon, the recoil flinging her backwards, but she had the angle right for the harpoon to go through his throat.  
  


“S-Seco—”

  
“Not this time, Dumbass.” Ladybug Alix pulls the harpoon out of his throat and he spits out blood.

  
“I’ll be taking this.” Bunny Alix appears at his side via portal, gingerly takes the bangle from his wrist and breaking his transformation. Sass sighs in relief nuzzling Alix’s face.

  
“The torture is finally over!” Sass cries.

  
“Not yet it isn’t.” Snake Alix replies. “We have to fix all of Jalil’s screw-ups throughout the multiverse. That... could take some time.”

  
“We’ll split back up and undo the damage as best we could.” Cat Alix says.

  
Bunny Alix gives the bangle to Fox Alix. “I’m not a sadist like you...” The former begins glaring at Jalil, “so I’m not gonna spend any longer than necessary making you suffer.”

  
“At the same time...” Fox Alix grins at him, “thanks to the continuous misuse of your second chance... you’ll always relive this moment. Being harpooned, in the throat, by your baby sister.” Alix mock pouts at him. “not just that death either. All of them. Oh and if that weren’t just grand enough, you’ll relive all _my_ deaths too; feeling them as if they were yours. You’re fucked, Jalil. You shouldn’t’ve played with forces your pea-sized brain couldn’t control.”

  
“You... haven’t... won...” Jalil rasps.

  
Snake Alix beams at him, “you’re right! I haven’t celebrated yet! Second chance!”

  
🐍

  
“ _Lucky charm_!” Jalil charges toward the dragon who stands their ground. When they make contact the dragon shatters into thousands of tiny pieces. In hindsight, Jalil should’ve realized this was too easy but he was only thinking of stealing the rabbit Miraculous from Alix.

  
It was only when he realized his movements were becoming sluggish, was that he realized he slithered into a trap.

  
The dragon reforms in front of him as he freezes over. Alix laughs, “and you have the nerve to call me a dumbass.” If he had the ability to move, he’d widen his eyes at the harpoon gun aimed right at him. “Remember all the sea tales you wouldn’t read to me? Read ‘em to myself. _Thar she blows_ , Captain Luck.”

  
Lady Luck points two fingers to her front. “Fire!”

  
Jalil chokes a gasp as the harpoon goes straight through his throat. Lady Luck grabs his hand before he can grab his Miraculous. “What do we do with him, Captain?” Karma asks. With the transformation canceled, the pain he’s in doubles. He uselessly clutches his throat with some futile hope to stem the bleeding.  
  
  
“I could get used to being called ‘captain.’” Lady Luck puts the diamond ouroboros bangle in Alix’s hand and it turns rose gold. “Let’s put ‘em out of his misery.” Lady Luck expertly reloads the harpoon gun. “Dragonstrike, we’re gonna need some cover. No witnesses.”

  
“Zero visibility!” They put their hands in the air and hail starts to fall.

  
Alix puts the bangle on, “Sass, scales slither. Fluff, clockwise. Unify!” Jalil’s eyes widen briefly then he has to shield them because of the brightness.

  
Alix has transformed into some hideous rabbit and snake hybrid. She’s teal, has giant rabbit ears, and is... scaly. She has a long tail flopping uselessly on the ground. Her eyes are slit like a snakes but are blue.

  
🐍

  
Juleka and Aurore grab arms. “Ready!”

  
Alix nods then skates toward them at full speed. Aurore slaps one hand over her eyes and Juleka watches in fascination as Alix charges toward them. Just before she makes contact with their joint arms, Alix skates underneath their arms. “Is it over?” Aurore asks.

  
“Yup. She fit underneath.”  
  


Aurore slowly moves her hand and opens her eyes.  
  
  
🐍

  
“I’ll calling you out, Jalil!”

  
M. Kubdel watches seven individuals stand in front of the Louvre.

  
A dragon in a scaly red catsuit with a long, curled black tail in the center magically forms over their body. Their gloves are elbow-length and black with red and gold alternating fingertips. On their chest is a circle split in three parts each with its own symbol. The left symbol is a yellow cloud and lightning bolt. The right symbol are several lines looped at the end. The top symbol is a few raindrops. They have a long, scaly red tail with black and gold alternating spikes along the tail. Their wavy hair is flowing past their shoulders; black at the top and red at the bottom. There are four horns on their head – two on each side. Their domino mask is black and her eyes are gold with red slit pupils. Their ankle-high boots are gold and have little horns on the feet. Lastly, they have tiny red wings on her back, two whiskers coming out of both their cheeks, and there’s a _sword_ sheathed behind their back between their wings.

A turtle whose outer part of their outfit is dark green with a hexagonal pattern. The shell in their hands is the same color and pattern. Their hair is green in a buzz cut. They’re wearing a pair of orange goggles. The inside of their suit has a houndstooth pattern that’s green and orange. The gloves and boots are orange and... webbed.

  
A mouse with a light grey outfit with a darker grey speckled throughout. Their knee-high boots, mask, and gloves are all baby pink. The mouse’s left eye is dark grey while their right eye is light grey. A pink jumprope is tied around their waist. They have dark grey hair with pink tips.

  
A rabbit with white suit that has baby blue spots all over it. There’s a large white cotton ball on the black color. The left half of their mask is blue and the right half is white. Both of the eyes are black. A black chain is hanging out of their left pocket.

  
A fox with straight orange hair in a high ponytail that has white tips. Their suit is orange with a pair of white crisscrossing fox ears on the chest. An orange and white flute hangs from their right side. Their bushy tail has a white oval-shaped tip. Their pointer, middle, and pink finger on their left glove is white and the middle and ring finger on the right glove are black; the rest of the gloves are orange. Their eyes are purple.

  
Lady Luck is on the far right and Karma is on the far left.

  
Alix’s father comes out of the building, “Alix Lei Kubdel, stop this foolishness at once!” Jalil slithers out of the Louvre and his father gasps, “what are you doing!? Where did you get that Miraculous from?”

  
“Does it matter? It’s mine now.”

  
“You can’t be so arrogant as to think you can take on seven opponents?”

  
“That wouldn’t be very fair... for them.” Jalil curls in on himself then hisses.

  
“What is he—” The mouse’s eyes widen. “Oh my God! He’s laying eggs!” They scream.

  
The others briefly stare at their teammate before turning back to Jalil in horror. “Stop him!” Lady Luck instructs. They charge at Jalil but he opens his mouth and screeches an almost hypersonic, eardrum piercing scream blowing the “heroes” back several feet.

  
“Wasn’t expecting that...” Karma groans rubbing her ears.

  
Lady Luck shakily gets to her feet then throws her yo-yo in the air. “ _Lucky Charm_!” The hero stares blankly at the old school camcorder that drops in her hands. “Seriously?” She deadpans.

  
“We shooting a movie, Double L?” The mouse asks.

  
“Looks likely.” Lady Luck looks around then her eyes land on the blue-haired kid peeking behind a parked car. The kid is lit up in the Miracle Vision. “Just need to get the cameraperson. Fan out and attack from all sides. Get rid of those eggs by any means necessary.”

  
The mouse nods, “on it. Spread out!”

  
“You guys got names, right?” The dragon asks unsheathing their sword.

  
“What is your brot—I mean the snake capable of?” The turtle asks readying their shield.

  
“We’ll find out shortly.” The fox replies.

  
“You fools!” Jalil bellows, “you’re not strong enough to face me.” As they surround Jalil on all sides he straightens out his body and the black eggs hatch. The miniature snakes all latch onto a hero’s arm. “This is just pathetic! You might as well give me the rabbit Miraculous, Alix, unless you want your friends to be my dinner.”

  
The fox twirls the flute in their hands, “Alix isn’t here right now, asshole, you’re looking at Remix.”

  
“How cute. Getting into the spirit of things! It was clever of you to swap Miraculouses; I’ll admit. But I know you didn’t come up with this plan on your own.”

  
“Doubt it matters.”

  
“Oh come now Alix. Of course it matters! We’ve been through resets like this! Don’t you remember? They never turn out in your favor.”

  
“Maybe today’s my day.”

  
Remix smirks and Jalil’s pupils slit. He turns to his unhatched eggs among the hatched ones, seeing them torched. The “heroes” around him, and the snakes on them, disappear in puffs of smoke. “What did you do?!”

  
“I can’t take all that credit for that.”

  
The dragon taps the sword – that’s _sparking electricity_ – against their right shoulder, “yo. Hey, thanks for letting me test my electricity.”

  
“My eggs!” Jalil’s eyes turn black. “You’ll pay for this, baby sister.”

  
Remix beckons him with two fingers, “come get some.”

  
Marc jumps as Lady Luck taps him on the shoulder. “L-Lady Luck...” He whispers.

  
“Here.” He stares at the camcorder. “Stay here and record everything, okay?”

  
“G-Got it.” Marc adjusts the camcorder on his shoulder.

  
Lady Luck begins walking toward her team, swinging her yo-yo. Marc follows the movement with the camera. “That’s enough banter. Unless you want my size 33 shoes up your egg-laying ass you’re gonna give us your Miraculous.”

  
“I’m afraid I’m gonna have to... respectfully decline, Lady Luck.”

  
“I gave you an out. It’s go time.”

  
“Hells yeah!” Marc angles the camera catching all seven heroes in the frame. The dragon begins crystallizing.

  
“Get ready.” The other heroes ready their weapons.

  
The fox has a flute by their mouth. The rabbit is brandishing an umbrella. The turtle is holding their shell in front of them like a shield. The mouse is swinging their whip or whatever weapon that is. Of course, Karma has a baton in each hand.

  
Jalil puts a hand on his bangle, “second—” The mouse wraps their weapon around Jalil’s right hand.

  
“ _Now_!”

  
“Stopwatch!” Everything moves in slow motion for Jalil. Both arms are being pulled away from his body and he feels the bangle being lifted off his body.

  
When time resumes normally, his transformation breaks and he stares up at Alix with the fox Miraculous carelessly twirling the snake Miraculous in her hand. “That was easy.”

  
“Was it? **Second chance**!”

  
The bangle pulses in Alix’s hand. “What the—”

  
“Remix, combine the Miraculouses!” Karma yells.

  
“U-Uh—Uh...”

  
“It’s scales slither—” The snake kwami tells her, “—hurry.”

  
“Scales slither, unify!”

  
Jalil’s eyes widen as instead of being enveloped in light, the Miraculous shoots out a beam of pure energy hitting him straight in the chest.

  
As he lays on the floor twitching, _eight_ individuals – seven costumed and one holding a camcorder – look at him. No, they’re looking down on him! “This is far from over.”

  
“Of course it is, man.” The fox rolls their eyes then everyone else moves.

  
“How many more times do we have to do this?” Karma asks.

  
“This was the three-hundred-and-seventh reset.” Sass replies.

  
“Is that supposed to mean something?” Lady Luck asks.

  
“Jalil went through three-hundred-and-five resets in twelve universes. An additional reset would right things throughout the multiverse. A second additional reset makes sure everything is as it should be.”

  
“So we did it? How anticlimactic. I mean the build-up was something serious then we barely do anything.” The mouse sighs, “oh well. Alls well that ends well.”

  
“We’re not done. Not yet. We’re gonna need some cover.”

  
The dragon salutes, “zero visibility!’

  
“Divide! Trixx, full stop.” Alix breaks the transformation and Trixx flies out of the necklace, leaving her just with the snake Miraculous.

  
🐍

  
“Second Chance!” Jalil shouts clicking his bracelet back.

  
🐍

  
“Bring Alix back!” Karma screams.

  
🐍

  
“Alright. Dragonstrike, Remix, Patches, Safeguard, and ...what did you say? Double Dutch?”

  
“It’s a jump rope technique! Plus, you know, I can multiply. It fits my theme.”

  
Lady Luck gives the mouse a strange look, “...okay then.”

  
🐍

  
“Kill Jalil. Kill Jalil.” An unfamiliar voice whispers to Marinette.

  
🐍

  
Marinette knocks the Miraculous off Jalil’s wrist with a broomstick.

  
🐍

  
“How sad is it that multiple versions of you are all getting their asses kicked by their baby sister? I suppose that’s one of the ‘constants’ in the multiverse, hm?” Jalil glares at the woman. “Your powers are wasted on you.”

  
“And I suppose _you_ can do better, Maîtresse Abeille?”

  
The woman in the glossy gold and black herringbone patterned outfit chuckles. She has crystallized gold wings; her knee-high boots and elbow-length gloves are all black. Her hair is black with zigzag gold highlights. Every inch of the woman, from the gold lipstick to the wings on the ankle of her boots is glossy. “Oh, I know I can.”

  
“It’s only because the me of that universe does not have his time wraith abilities yet.”

  
“He also doesn’t have the snake Miraculous either, so...” Jalil’s eyes narrow. “I only need but one time orb, Masque. I just need to tell the me of that universe some very vital information.”

  
Jalil holds his hand out and creates a black orb. “It’ll give you ten minutes.”

  
Abeille throws the orb onto the ground, it shatters and a portal opens up. “That should be more than enough time.” She nods at Jalil before gracefully walking into the portal. The Agreste manor essentially looks the same. The large staircase in the foyer. It just doesn’t have the large memorial portrait of her hanging on the wall. She walks into the master bedroom and the blonde gasps jumping out of bed.

  
“ _Nooroo_ —”

  
“There’s no need for that, Émilie Agreste – or do you go by Graham de Vanily? No matter, I’m you from a parallel universe. Only... everyone there thinks I’m dead.”

  
“You faked your death?”

  
“Well, no. I have a bit of a ...problem with my Miraculous. Because of the corruption, I can’t break transformation. Émilie Agreste is, for the most part, dead. Though the media simply says she ‘vanished.’ It’s a shame I can’t tell Gabriel about it though. He’s so broken and all I can do is send bees to look over him.” The woman sighs heavily, “in any event, I am Maîtresse Abeille and I only have eight-and-a-half minutes now. I’m here to tell you, in this universe, a child called Alix Kubdel is in possession of the snake and rabbit Miraculouses.”

  
“Why would that matter?”

  
“With the rabbit Miraculous, you can go to any point in history. Past, future – everything in between. With the snake, you can continuously repeat a single day.” Émilie gasps, “I’d advise you to not openly broadcast you are seeking these Miraculouses as well, at least not yet. Also, you’re gonna want to get in contact with Jalil Kubdel. He may be a dumbass but he is an extra piece of manpower and he has his uses. Particularly when it comes to magical artifacts; not the Miraculouses though he has no information about those.”

  
“Gabriel didn’t know about...? Are you working alone?”

  
“I have a partner... I just don’t know his identity. It doesn’t matter. Keep an eye on Alix Kubdel. Spy on her with an akuma if you need to. She’s dangerous.”

  
“I’ve heard that name before. Chloé often complains about a ‘Kubdel.’ Maybe I can talk to Adrien about them. Now... just why is this particular child dangerous?”

  
“They are the Avatar of Time. They can freely move through the multiverse. All in all, they are a pain. Shit, my time is up. One more thing, you need to find a way to release the exhaustion lock on your Miraculouses—”

  
Émilie flinches when the woman disappears in a wisp of black smoke.

  
“A lock...” Émilie’s eyebrows furrow, “Nooroo, what is this ‘lock?’”

  
“A safeguard placed on the Miracle Box so a five-minute timer is activated when the Miraculous wearer has reached peak level exhaustion. Once the five minutes are up the transformation instantly breaks. Because we don’t take much of a physical route your timer has never been activated. However, the exhaustion lock will affect anyone you possess with an akuma.”

  
“How is it broken?”

  
“Through the Guardian.”

  
“Yes but _how_?”

  
“I am unaware of the full process.’

  
Émilie runs a hand down her face.

  
🐍

  
“We’re going to need Alix Kubdel’s closest friends to help keep her safe.” Lady Luck pats the yo-yo at her side, “any suggestions?”

  
Karma scratches her head. “To the friends or how we go about doing this?”

  
🐍

  
Lady Luck puts a hand on Alix’s shoulder. “Alix Kubdel, gather up five people you trust with your life.”

  
🐍

  
Jalil puts his right hand on his left wrist then gasps, “w-where—” He looks up at Alix twirling the bangle in her hands with a smile.

  
🐍

  
Juleka sighs watching Kim jump up and down, “are you sure Marinette isn’t available...?”

  
🐍

  
“ _Lucky charm_!” Jalil gasps as a harpoon gun lands in Lady Luck’s hands and she fires catching his tail.

  
🐍

  
“You’re fucked, Jalil.” Alix taunts.

  
🐍

  
Alix laughs, “you’re on the ass end of an ass-kicking, big brother.”

  
🐍  
  


“You’ll forever keep repeating all your deaths and defeats.” Alix’s voice echoes.

  
🐍  
  


“Jalil~” Alix sing-songs, “where’s all your time magic knowledge?”

  
🐍

  
“Lucky charm!” A harpoon gun drops down in Lady Luck’s hand. Jalil looks at the weapon then his eyes snap up to Lady Luck’s face and a sadistic smile breaks out on her normally impassive face.

  
🐍

  
Bleeding profusely from his sides and throat, Jalil gurgles out blood looking up at seven costumed individuals – each a different animal – and Alix looking down at him.

  
🐍

  
Juleka’s jaw drops as she stares at the necklace in Lady Luck’s hand, “no way. Y-You want _me_ to use this?”

  
Lady Luck nods, “Alix Kubdel trusts you with her life.” Juleka moves her hair from her left eye.  
  
  
🐍

  
“What Miraculouses are you thinking of?”

  
Lady Luck stares at the Miraculouses in the daruma doll Miracle Box. “I’m open to suggestions?”

  
🐍

  
Alix hums. Alya, Juleka, Nathaniel, Kim, Marc, and Max – perfect candidates to give Miraculouses to. Marinette would obviously be the first person on the list had the blue-haired teen not already had her own Miraculous. She just needs to think of an excuse as to why she hasn’t considered her best friend among the list.

  
🐍

  
Nine individuals, eight costumed and Alix, drop down in front of the Louvre. The man sees a mouse, fox, dragon, turtle, rabbit, cat, ladybug, and goat. Then there is his daughter in between Lady Luck and Karma. “Jalil, even you can’t be foolish enough to try and take them all on?”

  
“I don’t need to take them all on, I just need to steal the rabbit Miraculous. Which I see is activated. How unlike Alix to relinquish her Miraculous. No matter. Whichever idiot friend that is, they’ll be no match for me.”

  
“Jalil, stop this foolishness! I _beg_ you. You know how this is going to end. How many resets have we been through?”

  
“I just need to get the upper hand _once_. One time is all I need.”

  
“You keep saying that and you don’t even get your ‘one time.’ Enough is enough, I want Alix home.”

  
“You can lie to yourself all you want but don’t lie to me, papa. You’re _relieved_ she’s gone. You two never saw eye-to-eye in anything. You hated everything about Alix.”

  
“How could I hate the one thing that reminds me of the love of my life? It—It’s just hard to look at her. Every time I see her, I see Jade.”

  
“That’s no excuse for you neglecting her. You haven’t went to a single skate competition or tryout or parent conference or anything. Not just with Alix either. You were always too focused on your ‘work.’ Even when maman was alive you barely made time for her!”

  
“That’s untrue! I devoted _my life_ to Jade! She was my everything!”

  
“Be that as it may, she died. Fourteen. Years. Ago. You were continuing to live in the past; focusing and ‘devoting yourself’ to someone who was no longer there! And would, frankly, be disgusted with your behavior.”

  
“How dare you say something like that! I was trying to make a better life for you and your sister! How was I to prepare for being told I would have a powerful time-wielding daughter? Studying time magic is a difficult job that takes countless, thankless years.”

  
“And that’s supposed to make up for all the years you missed out on and lost watching us grow up?”

  
“Believe me, if I had a fraction of Alix’s abilities I’d find a way to involve myself more in your lives. Maybe then you wouldn’t be trying to kill your only sibling and steal an artifact you can’t control.”

  
“That’s bullshit! I can too control the rabbit Miraculous! And as for you, you can see into the future! Surely you would’ve _known_ you’d lose your wife.” Jalil’s eyes widen, “that’s it. All the ‘research.’ All the times you said you had to work late? All you were doing was looking for a way to use the rabbit Miraculous to go back in time and prevent maman’s death.”

  
“You remember what happened when I tried using the rabbit Miraculous, don’t you? The nerve damage was so severe it destroyed all feeling in my right arm. What do you think the Miraculous will do to _you_?”

  
“How do you explain me getting the snake Miraculous then? If I am not destined to wield time magic?”

  
“Wielding the snake Miraculous is not the same as the rabbit. Just because you can use one, doesn’t mean you can use the other. As for why you received that particular Miraculous in the first place, I cannot explain how... or why. You said there was a letter. Do you recognize the handwriting?”

  
“It wasn’t handwritten, it was one of those generic calligraphy cards.”

  
“ _Jalil_!” Alix yells, “come out and play~”

  
“Don’t do this.”

  
“I have to. Reset, slaughter, repeat.” Jalil cracks his knuckles, “scales slither.”

  
The man looks away as the bright light erupts from Jalil’s body changing him. “And just what will you do if you obtain the rabbit Miraculous?”

  
“I’ll go back in time to September 12th, 2006 or maybe nine or so months before then, and prevent Alix’s birth. You should be _thanking me_ , père. It might just save your late wife’s life. We were all so much better off without her in our lives anyway.”

  
His father laughs humorlessly, “you truly are an idiot. Alix’s birth is a fixed point in history. It is one of the most significant events throughout the multiverse. Hell, the event joins the multiverse together. It cannot be prevented.”

  
“How would you—” Jalil gasps wide-eyed, “you’ve tried...? You’ve... You’ve actually _tried_! You are the biggest hypocrite in history! You only want Alix back to manipulate her into using the Miraculous for yourself!”


End file.
